The world's largest soluble pulp mill will be built in Araguari-MG

The new soluble pulp mill from LD Celulose – a joint venture formed between Duratex and the Austrian Lenzing Group – will be deployed between the municipalities of Araguari and Indianópolis, in Triângulo Mineiro, near the company's planting area. The project provides for the construction of the largest industrial line of soluble cellulose in the world and will receive investments in the order of US $1 billion. The works are planned to begin in August, as reported on Friday (31) by Governor Romeu Zema (Novo). During an interview to detail the privatization of highways in Minas Gerais, Zema spoke about developments that the current management is attracting to the state, citing the unit of LD Celulose. The Governor reported that the new industry will generate about 6500 jobs. According to him, the hard work of the government leaves the investor confident that the rules will be accepted and transparent. "With this program (privatization of highways) We take another important step towards this competitiveness," he said. Raw material for the textile industry, the soluble cellulose produced by the unit of LD Celulose in Minas will be totally destined for export and sold to Lenzing to supply its operations mainly in Asia. The planting areas of the company in Minas Gerais are located in the area of five municipalities of the Triângulo Mineiro: Indianópolis, Araguari, Estrela do Sul, new bridge and Romaria. And this forest area represents an important part of Duratex's investment in the business, but the company will also make financial disbursement. Lenzing has 51% stake in the LD Celulose joint venture, while Duratex accounts for 49%. In June 2018, the investment of US $1 billion in Minas Gerais was announced for the construction of the industrial line of soluble cellulose. At the time, Duratex – the largest producer of industrialized wood panels and floors, crockery and sanitary metals in the southern hemisphere – reported on its entry into the soluble cellulose segment, in partnership with the Lenzing Group. The Duratex/Lenzing junction was authorized by the competent organs in Brazil and Europe and formed LD Celulose, which aims to operate in the production of soluble cellulose. According to information from LD Celulose, the earthworks of the Unit should begin in August. The completion of the plant is expected to 2022, when the production will begin. During the construction of the factory, there will be a peak of 6,500 hires. In the operation phase, 1,040 direct jobs will be generated. The unit will have production capacity of 450,000 tonnes/year of soluble cellulose. The process also provides for the production of 77 Megawatts of renewable electric energy by means of wood biomass.