Siemens Energy has been selected by Arauco, one of the largest global pulp companies, to supply steam turbogenerators and the entire energy distribution system for its first pulp mill in Brazil. The Sucuriú plant is being built in Mato Grosso do Sul State and will have the capacity to produce 3.5 million tons of short fiber per year. The contract, registered in the first quarter of this fiscal year, foresees the delivery of equipment and solutions in the second half of 2027 and has an approximate value of more than 500 million reais.
The equipment supplied includes three steam turbines. One of these is a backpressure turbine, responsible for delivering steam to the pulp production process, and the other two are condensation turbines, which are responsible for transforming excess steam into electrical energy to supply the factory and for absorbing fluctuations from the production process. Thanks to the high performance of these machines, it will be possible to obtain a large amount of surplus energy, allowing it to be sold to the grid.
In total, the plant will have the capacity to generate more than 400 MW of energy, with 200 MW for internal consumption. However, the three steam turbines will have a maximum projected power capacity of more than 600 MW, capable of providing additional electricity if necessary. The surplus available is expected to be sufficient to supply a city of 800,000 inhabitants.
“This project enhances our role as partner of choice for the Pulp and Paper industry, thanks to our ability to deliver integrated projects with significant local capacity. For this partnership with Arauco, we´ll incorporate technologies that generate more green energy per dollar invested in Capex, based on innovations developed in Brazil,” says André Clark, Senior Vice President of Siemens Energy for Latin America
Siemens Energy will provide the entire energy distribution of the plant in addition to the generation system. This solution will integrate and manage 16 process islands. Additionally, the scope includes auxiliary energy systems, which consist of generators that will support the construction of the plant during the assembly phase and will remain installed as a backup when the plant becomes operational.
With an investment of approximately $4.6 billion, Sucuriú Project will be the largest pulp mill in the world and mark Arauco's pulp division entry in Brazil, a rapidly growing market in Latin America. Data from XP Investments estimates that pulp production in the region grew from 54 million to 81 million tons between 2014 and 2024. In Brazil, more than 80% of the pulp projects currently active rely on Siemens Energy solutions.
