Metso Paper to supply a pulp drying line to Arauco, Itata pulp mill, Chile

Published Mar 10, 2005 16.00.00 +2 GMT

Metso Paper will supply a pulp drying line, equipped with two parallel drying machines, and three complete baling lines to the Celulosa Arauco y Constitución S. A., Itata pulp mill, Chile. The new greenfield pulp project is located 30 km west of Chillán and 420 km south of Santiago. The order was received in 2004 and start-up is scheduled for the spring 2006.

The scope of Metso Paper’s delivery for the pulp drying line includes rescreening, wet end, airborne dryer, cutter layboy and pulp baling systems. The drying line is dimensioned for a capacity of 2 x 1,360 adt/d and the trim width of each drying machine is 5,680 mm. However, the pulp drying line is designed to allow a future capacity increase up to 2 x 1600 adt/d. Raw material is eucalyptus nitens and globulus in the first line and radiata pine in the second line.

Additionally, Metso Paper will deliver start-up services and training. The same crews from Arauco and Metso Paper as in the successful Valdivia project will handle the Itata project.

Arauco is one of the world's largest forestry companies. Arauco currently operates five Kraft pulp mills: the Arauco, Constitución, Licancel and Valdivia mills in Chile, and the Alto Paraná mill in Argentina. With the new Itata pulp mill and the existing five mills, Arauco will have a combined annual capacity of about 3.1 million metric tons of bleached and unbleached kraft pulp.

More information: Pär-Erik Larsson, Area Vice President, Fiber Business Line, Metso Paper Tel. +55 15 2102 9816, par-erik.larsson@metso.com Jukka Sämpi, Senior Vice President, Pulp Drying, Fiber Business Line, Metso Paper Tel. +358 400 590 968, jukka.sampi@metso.com