CMPC targets key Brazil permit in September

Empresas CMPC expects to obtain a preliminary environmental license by late September for its Natureza pulp mill project in Brazil. The initiative represents an investment of $4.6 billion in Barra do Ribeiro, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is planned to produce 2.5 million tonnes of pulp each year as the company's largest foreign investment.

General Director of CMPC in Brazil Antonio Lacerda called September decisive on two fronts. On the legal front, federal prosecutor Ricardo Gralha filed a second appeal seeking to halt the licensing process. This followed a lower court rejection of an earlier suspension request. CMPC is now waiting for the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region to dismiss the appeal.

On the administrative side, licensing continues before the state environmental foundation Fepam. In August, the Federal Public Ministry stated that CMPC had not contacted the prosecutor or proposed terms for prior consultation with Indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, and fishers. Governor Eduardo Leite explained that the state awaits a second technical evaluation from the National Indigenous Peoples Foundation before Fepam can issue the permit.

State Secretary of Environment and Infrastructure Isa Carla Osterkamp noted that negotiations continue to complete the process in coming weeks. CMPC confirmed that it has met all formal requirements, collaborates with local technical agencies, and remains flexible regarding exact timelines over the coming months.