CMPC secures final authorization for US$300m Brazil port terminal
Chilean pulp producer CMPC has obtained final authorization to build a private-use port terminal in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with projected investment of 1.5 billion reais (US$300 million). The terminal, to be built and operated through a joint venture between CMPC and Neltume Ports via the entity Terminal Rio Grande do Sul S.A., is part of CMPC's wider Natureza Project, which also includes a new pulp mill at Barra do Ribeiro with total investment exceeding 27 billion reais.
Why this mattersThe dedicated terminal secures export capacity for CMPC's new Brazilian pulp mill, underpinning one of the region's largest forestry-sector capital projects.
- Projected terminal investment is 1.5 billion reais (US$300 million).
- Assignment contract for the project area was signed between Brazil's Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services and Terminal Rio Grande do Sul S.A.
- An earlier adhesion contract for the port facility's operation was signed in January 2026 with the Ministry of Ports and Airports and Antaq.
- The terminal is part of CMPC's Natureza Project, which also includes a new pulp mill in Barra do Ribeiro with total investment exceeding 27 billion reais.
- The design includes two ship berths, two barge berths and a warehouse with static capacity of 194,000 tonnes of cellulose.
- Handling capacity is expected to reach around 5 million tonnes of cellulose per year.
- The 25-year federal land concession was signed on 11 September 2026, with a renewal option
- The terminal's planned capacity is now cited at up to 9m tonnes a year, up from the previously reported 5m tonnes
- The terminal will cover 400,000 square metres
- Construction is expected to create about 1,200 jobs, with 450 permanent roles once operating