ABB To More Than Double Production Capacity At Brazilian Pulp Plant

ABB to deliver integrated power and automation solution for new pulp mill, more than doubling plant capacity

Zurich, Switzerland – ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, will supply integrated process electrification, automation and optimization systems for Fibria’s new pulp mill in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Civil works on the ‘Horizonte 2’ project will begin at the end of 2015, with the new plant coming online in 2017.

The Fibria unit in Três Lagoas is already today one of the world’s largest pulp production plants. Once completed, the new mill will more than double the plant’s capacity through the addition of 1.75 million tons of pulp production per year. The pulp produced by Fibria is used for a wide range of papers including tissue, printing and writing.

ABB is supplying an integrated electrification and automation solution that will be applied in almost all process areas allowing for control and operation of the new mill alongside the existing one. The short-fiber eucalyptus pulp manufacturer awarded ABB the project based on technical and commercial criteria.

According to Peter Terwiesch, president of ABB’s Process Automation division, ABB’s combined power and automation portfolio means the company is ideally positioned to provide integrated electrification and automation solutions for process industries such as pulp and paper.

“Having a single control system for two different plants increases the productivity and effectiveness of our customers,” said Terwiesch. “With our integrated power and automation solutions, we are making industry more efficient and ready for the Internet of Things, Services and People, in line with our Next Level strategy.”

The project scope consists of expanding the primary substation, the gas-insulated switchgear technology, distribution transformers for the plant and power transformers for the generators, as well as low voltage switchgear, variable-speed drives, low and medium voltage motors and DCS.

Also integrated is an asset optimization system which allows ABB to remotely monitor operations from a location thousands of kilometers away to provide data to support Fibria’s maintenance engineering decisions. This will help the pulp manufacturer to optimize its maintenance strategy procedures.