Finland-headed energy and forest industry technology major Valmet Oyj has confirmed that it has been selected by Chile-headed forest industry major Celulosa Arauco y Constitucion S.A. (ARAUCO) to supply a complete pulp mill including also full-scope automation and flow control solutions. Being developed in state of Matto Grosso do Sol, Brazil, the new pulp mill will be the world’s largest single-phase pulp mill project with a 3.5 million tonne per year pulp production capacity.
The new mill is estimated to start up in the second half of 2027, and the delivery will have an important employment impact on Valmet and its subcontractors especially in Brazil, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, India, and China.
The value of the order for Valmet is over EUR 1 billion.
This investment is a significant milestone for the industry, and we are proud to be selected as the partner for Arauco in this major project. Arauco’s new pulp mill will be the largest single-phase pulp mill project in the world and will be a showcase for Valmet’s sustainable technologies. In addition, the mill will generate a significant amount of excess bioelectricity, contributing positively to the sustainable energy supply of the area, said Thomas Hinnerskov, recently elected President and CEO of Valmet.
Strategically important investment for Arauco
Originally from Chile, Arauco is a global forest industry company with a presence on five continents.
Founded in 1979, it has operations in more than 75 countries and a fleet of 55 mills in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and South Africa.
This is an important and decisive stage of our Sucuriú Project, which will feature high expertise and state-of-the-art technology. As the world’s largest single-phase pulp production project, our choice to partner with Valmet reflects Arauco’s commitment to partnering with those who share our vision for innovation and sustainable practices, said Cristian Infante, Global CEO of Arauco.
Full-scope delivery with proven technology
Valmet will deliver the full production process from wood handling to ready pulp bales to produce hardwood pulp, as well as an automation system and related flow control solutions for the whole mill including features from Valmet’s Industrial Internet offering.
The development of the pulp industry in Brazil has been substantial in the past years. To meet the demands of this market and serve the customers even better in the region, Valmet has systematically strengthened its presence and competencies locally. Our knowledge about the local conditions, experience in executing projects, and commitment to providing long-term services for the new plant ensuring high operational efficiency and sustainability were recognized by Arauco as very important factors in their decision to partner with Valmet, said Celso Tacla, Area President, South America, Valmet.
Valmet’s delivery scope includes the engineering, procurement, and construction, including civil construction and commissioning works at the site.
At the peak of the construction period, there will be 8,000 people working at the site with Valmet’s delivery scope and altogether 14,000 people covering also other areas.
With a complete mill delivery, Valmet can offer the full benefits of our innovative and comprehensive offering consisting of process technology, automation systems, flow control solutions, and services. Even though the mill will be the largest ever delivered, Valmet’s delivery scope will include proven technologies creating a good foundation for this mega mill investment. The mill will feature leading process technologies, including the latest developments in our continuous cooking technology especially tailored for large hardwood mills and the most advanced automation systems and flow control solutions. The complete automation solution includes the latest Valmet DNAe automation system together with a mill-wide optimization solution. The solutions are designed to deliver excellent energy efficiency, optimized end-product quality, and high environmental performance, said Sami Riekkola, Business Line President, Pulp and Energy, Valmet.
Valmet’s process technology delivery will include wood handling, cooking and fiber line, pulp drying and baling, non-condensable gases (NCG) handling solution, evaporation, recovery boiler, biomass boiler, recausticizing, lime kiln, biomass dryer, and gasifier.
Due to the size of the mill, several of the technology areas have several parallel lines, for example, there are six wood handling chipping lines, two cooking and fiberlines, three pulp dryers, and two lime kilns with gasification plants. On the other hand, there will only be one evaporation plant and one recovery boiler, which will be the largest in the world when it starts up, said Fernando Scucuglia, Pulp & Energy Director, South America Area, Valmet.
The automation delivery will include Valmet’s latest distributed control system Valmet DNAe, advanced process controls (APC), analyzers, and online measurements as well as mill-wide optimization covering all process islands. The Industrial Internet solutions scope includes simulators and connectivity to the Valmet Performance Center.
The delivery will additionally include flow control solutions featuring valves and valve automation.
