Orofran

repaid

The IIC loan for up to US$6.5 million will be used primarily to finance the construction and procurement of four river barges each with a capacity of 5,500 metric tons, and two tugboats.Orofran would provide riverine log transport services for the Montes del Plata project from its M’Bopicua logistics terminal, in Soriano Department, to the port of Punta Pereira, in Colonia Department, some 150 kilometers south via the Uruguay River, under a five-year riverine transport contract, renewable for two additional years.The Montes del Plata project involves the construction of a cellulose pulp mill for processing eucalyptus from commercial tree farms. It encompasses the construction and operation of a cellulose mill producing on the order of 1.3 million metric tons of cellulose per year; a 160-megawatt biomass power generation facility; a river port terminal; barge terminals with wood storage yards; and a wood chipping plant. The cellulose mill will use elemental chlorine free (ECF) technology. The industrial facilities will be constructed in a free trade zone in Punta Pereira, some 190 kilometers west of Montevideo. Montes del Plata is the largest foreign investment in the history of Uruguay. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is currently studying how to structure its financing.