Arauco Sucuriú – a giant in the making

The Sucuriú project in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, has strategic importance for Arauco as they diversify their pulp production’s locations.

“Arauco has been looking into expanding pulp production in Brazil for years. Our target was to enhance our competitive position, and Brazil has the required conditions, including logistics infrastructure, skilled people, and the right environment for trees to grow. We selected Mato Grosso do Sul state and the city of Inocencia as the location for our project,” explains Iván Chamorro, Senior Vice-President Forestry & Woodpulp Business for the Arauco Group.

Construction works are in full swing at the project site. 

A full mill delivery from Valmet

“Valmet is a key player in this project, delivering all the key process areas in an EPC model. We’re very happy so far with our relationship and Valmet’s commitment. We’re very confident that together we’ll be able to deliver the best mill. We know we’re going to face challenges, but with strong communication between the technical teams and at the management level, we can face these challenges and be successful together,” Chamorro explains.

The new Arauco Sucuriú pulp mill will include the world’s largest recovery boiler.

“Sucuriú will be a state-of-the-art mill with low water consumption and low emissions. We’re basically targeting a zero-waste mill that doesn’t send any residues to landfill. Additionally, we’re going to use gasified biomass instead of fossil fuel for the lime kiln. The mill will produce more than 400 megawatts of renewable energy, of which about 50 percent will be sold to the national Brazilian grid,” says Carlos Altimiras, CEO of Arauco Brazil.

On April 9, 2025, a cornerstone-laying event was celebrated at the Arauco Sucuriú project site in Inocência, Mato Grosso do Sul state in Brazil.

Future-proof automation solutions

The mill automation system will be Valmet’s latest distributed control system, Valmet DNAe, supported with remote connectivity and Industrial Internet solutions. “With Valmet’s automation systems, mill-wide optimization and advanced process controls, we’re building a base for autonomous operations,” Altimiras adds.

Iván Chamorro, Senior Vice-President Forestry & Woodpulp Business for the Arauco Group says, “we are very happy so far with our relationship and Valmet’s commitment.”

“To be competitive now and in the future, we need to make our process more efficient and more stable, and mill automation will help us achieve this. We already have experience from our MAPA project, with several technology suppliers, but Valmet mill-wide optimization will look at optimal production for the mill as a whole,” says Hector Araneda, Operations Manager, Pulp and Energy Business at Arauco.

A comprehensive sustainability approach

In addition to environmental performance, Arauco is focusing specially on social and economic sustainability for both the project phase and as a long-term commitment to the community.

With strong communication between technical teams and at the management level, we can be successful together.

“The Sucuriú project will bring dynamism to the local economy,” says Chamorro. “We’re going to have more than 15,000 people working on site during construction, and during the operation phase we’ll have about 6,000 people working in the forestry, logistics, mill, and support services. These are stable long-term quality jobs.”

Carlos Altimiras, CEO of Arauco Brazil says, “Sucuriú will be a state-of-the-art mill with low water consumption and low emissions, and we’re not going to use fossil fuel for the lime kiln.”

Inocencia is a fairly small town with around 8,000 inhabitants, and Arauco is actively engaging with the local community to prepare it for growth. “The main objective for us is to work with Valmet and the local authorities to prepare the town for the future operation. We all know the town will be growing, but we want to ensure that it will grow in an organized way. In addition to building housing for our future workers, we’re investing in healthcare and an overall urbanization plan,” Altimiras adds.

Arauco management visited Valmet’s office in Tampere, Finland, to discuss the automation system and mill-wide optimization features.

A collaborative project

The project is also strategic for Valmet – it is Valmet’s largest project, involving hundreds of Valmeteers throughout the world. Harri Pakkanen, Valmet’s Nordic Project Director, adds, “The project has been proceeding at full speed since November last year. We’re now moving to the detailed engineering phase. We’ve already procured all the long lead items and critical equipment. Some of the equipment will be produced in Valmet’s own workshops, and some will be manufactured by our trusted partners. The first parts are already ready, and the first shipments – pulp drying equipment and pressure parts for the world’s largest recovery boiler – will begin their journey to Brazil from China in July.”

Valmet’s Project Directors Harri Pakkanen and Guilherme Mendonca work closely together to deliver the project.

The cornerstone-laying event in April marked the end of the earth-moving phase and the official start of the construction phase. The Sucuriú mill is expected to start up in the second half of 2027.

Close cooperation and best practices

“We’re already working closely with the main contractors for site operations and planning the installation phase, covering civil construction, mechanical erection, and electrical and instrument installation,” says Guilherme Mendonca, Valmet’s South America Project Director.

Hector Araneda, Operations Manager, Pulp and Energy Business at Arauco says, “we already have experience from our MAPA project, and the Valmet mill-wide optimization will look at optimal production for the mill as a whole.”

There is also close cooperation with the main contractors and local suppliers. In February, Valmet and Arauco arranged a Contractor HSE Day in Araucaria, where participants shared best safety practices. The project and partner opportunities were presented for local companies in March in Campo Grande, the state capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, and Inocencia.

“We have a long history of working with Valmet, and we will put our best efforts into working together to resolve any problems we encounter,” Altimiras concludes. 

During the project execution phase there will be more than 15,000 people working on the site. The housing for the personnel is planned so that it will not cause unnecessary burden to the city on Inocência.

Text Lotta Forssell

PHOTOS Arauco, Dennis Stenbäck, Lars Berggren, Lotta Forssell