Fibria has announced that it is moving forward the expected date for the completion and startup of the Horizonte 2 Project to build a second pulp production line at its unit in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Previously scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017, the mill is now slated to start operations in the third quarter of the year, in September.
Brazil-headed forest company and global eucalyptus pulp major Fibria, has announced that it is moving forward the expected date for the completion and startup of the Horizonte 2 Project to build a second pulp production line at its unit in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul. Previously scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017, the mill is now slated to start operations in the third quarter of the year, in September.
The Horizonte 2 Project will have the capacity to produce 1.95 million tonnes of pulp per annum and Fibria estimates that from September to year-end, the new mill in Três Lagoas will produce 377 000 tonnes of pulp. Production will ramp up gradually to reach the new mill’s full capacity of 1.95 million tonnes per annum in 2020.
Summing the production of the new line and the existing mill, the Três Lagoas Unit will expand its annual pulp production capacity by 150 percent to 3.25 million tonnes.
– Since we first announced the expansion project, in 2015, we have invested all our efforts into finishing Horizonte 2, always supported by a solid financial structure. Over these last two years, we have revised upwards the new line’s production capacity and now we are moving forward its conclusion, which attests to the dedicated effort made by the entire team to capture productivity gains, cut costs and always deliver their best. With the accelerated commissioning of the new line at Três Lagoas, we embark on a new phase of reaping the fruits of what we have sown, said Marcelo Castelli, Fibria CEO in a statement.
Andritz key supplier
According to Fibria, construction on the expansion project is currently 87 percent complete, while its financial progress stands at 59 percent. The pulp and paper division of Austria-headed Andritz is the main EPC and the scope of supply covers the delivery of the complete fiberline as well as the recovery island, including the boiler and all relevant process steps.
In February, construction began on the intermodal terminal in Aparecida do Taboado, Mato Grosso do Sul, which will distribute the pulp produced by the new mill in Três Lagoas to the Macuco Terminal at the Port of Santos in São Paulo, which also is already under construction.
The intermodal terminal, which integrates various transportation means, such as highway and rail, is located on Highway BR 158 and will have annual pulp shipment capacity of 1.95 million tonnes. Construction on the terminal is slated to be concluded in July 2017.
The forestry base to supply Fibria’s new production line is already assured and located near the mill in Três Lagoas, with a maximum supply radius of 100 kilometers, in line with the planning. Of the 187 000 hectares (ha) of planted forests required to supply the new unit, 135 000 ha already have been planted with eucalyptus and another 52 000 ha will be planted in 2017 and 2018.
In addition, all the energy consumed is generated by the mill itself using biomass in the form of eucalyptus bark and black liquor from the industrial process. With the expansion of production capacity, the industrial unit will generate and consume its own energy and supply excess power to the national grid.
