Recently Arauco resumed operation of its Valdivia pulp mill. The facility underwent a thorough inspection following the earthquake that struck on February 27, and now fully complies with the operational, environmental, and safety standards demanded.
The Valdivia pulp mill has an annual production capacity of 550 thousand tons of kraft pulp. Additionally, its biomass based cogeneration power plant resumed operation on March 16, providing clean energy to the nation’s Central Interconnected System (SIC). With the mill’s operation, ARAUCO’s production activities return to normal in Chile’s Los Ríos Region, generating a total of 10,000 jobs.
Other facilities that resumed operation earlier, on March 16, are: four saw mills, in addition to Valdivia saw mill which never closed; four remanufacturing facilities and three panel facilities. ARAUCO’s remaining production units are being assessed for damage by specialized teams and work is being done to resume operations as soon as possible.
ARAUCO’s CEO, Matías Domeyko confirmed the company’s commitment to the reconstruction phase that has begun in the regions affected by the earthquake and tidal wave. "We are specially committed to our workers, contract workers and their families, so that they can overcome the situation they are now going through".
