Fibria, Brazil, a producer of eucalyptus pulp, has taken an important step in the Horizonte 2 Project by beginning assembly of the metal structure of a new recovery boiler that will burn biomass and generate clean energy to power its new pulp production line in Três Lagoas.

"Erection of the first pillar of the boiler is one of the major milestones of the project and we are very pleased to have reached this stage. Work on the Horizonte 2 Project is on schedule and we reaffirm our forecast of inaugurating the second production line at Três Lagoas in the fourth quarter of 2017," said Marcelo Castelli, CEO of Fibria.

Pulp production at Fibria is based on a sustainable energy matrix. Electricity is generated from burning the waste known as solid and liquid biomass, which are wood byproducts from the process. This waste is burned in boilers to generate steam, which is then converted into energy.

"The start of this phase is of fundamental importance for completing a competitive project through which we seek to combine energy savings and the best utilization of resources," said Júlio Cunha, chief engineering officer of the Horizonte 2 The metal structure weighing 4,000 metric tons will provide support to the boiler of the Horizonte 2 Project, weighing more than 9,000 metric tons.Project.

The supporting structure for the boiler weighs about 9,000 metric tons and will be erected by Andritz, Austria, which is charged with supplying the package consisting of the wood chip yard, fiber line (cooking, washing and bleaching), drying machine, recovery boiler, evaporation, causticizing, and lime kiln. It will be assisted in this process by two other companies: Metacs and P&E.

"This is an important milestone that starts the electromechanical assembly of the recovery boiler. We thank Fibria and all of the partner companies for their efforts and for meeting the deadline while ensuring quality. We still have a lot more to do, but all of this prepares us to go much further in this project," said Luis Mario Bordini, CEO of Andritz Brasil.

With investments of R$8.7 billion (approximately $2.2 billion), Fibria’s expansion project will create 40,000 jobs during the construction phase and 3,000 direct and indirect jobs at the end of the project. The Três Lagoas Unit will have its annual pulp production capacity increased by 1.75 million tons. With this expansion, Fibria’s Três Lagoas Unit will have total annual pulp production capacity of 3.05 million tons, making it one of the world’s largest pulp producers.