Arauco advances rail and forestry logistics for Brazil's Sucuriu pulp mill
Arauco has begun lifting the 18 beams of a 270-metre rail bridge over the Sao Mateus stream at Inocencia, Mato Grosso do Sul, part of a BRL 2.4bn, 45km spur linking its Sucuriu pulp mill to the Rumo Malha Norte network and on to the Port of Santos. The company has also taken delivery of the first 108 of 254 forestry harvesting machines ordered under a BRL 500m investment, with the first harvesting module due to start in December 2026. Arauco expects to complete the railway and start up the mill, which it describes as the world's largest single-line pulp mill, at the end of 2027.
Why this mattersRail-to-port capacity and a harvesting fleet on the ground remove two of the main execution risks from the end-2027 start-up of Brazil's largest pulp mill.
- Beam lifting on the 270-metre, 18-beam rail bridge over the Sao Mateus stream began in September 2026 and is due to finish by the end of the month
- The rail project carries planned investment of BRL 2.4bn, covering 45km of track to the Rumo Malha Norte network plus 9km inside the industrial site
- Planned operations involve 26 locomotives and 721 wagons, with each train carrying up to 9,600 tonnes of pulp, removing about 190 truck trips a day from local roads
- Arauco has received the first 108 of 254 forestry machines ordered under a BRL 500m investment; the first harvesting module starts in December 2026 and the second in February 2027
- Arauco expects to complete the railway and start up the Sucuriu mill at Inocencia at the end of 2027
- More than 14,000 jobs are expected during construction and about 6,000 in industrial, forestry and logistics roles once operating, out of up to 20,000 opportunities in total