President of Uruguay José Mujica has inaugurated a new paper processing plant near the city of Colonia, on the banks of the Río de la Plata, affirming that the factory represented a bigger venture than the controversial UPM plant in Fray Bentos.
Construction on the plant created up to 6000 jobs in various stages, and puts in motion a chain of around 5,000 new posts in indirect employment according to the Uruguayan government.
The UPM installation located on the River Uruguay has caused serious disputes with neighbouring Argentina over its alleged environmental impact, concerns Mujica sought to minimise in today’s opening.
«Ecology is not about condemning oneself to the photograph of an age, but understanding that the most important law of nature is change and man can help administer that,» the president asserted, adding that the plant was «the biggest investment in Uruguay’s history.»
«Humanity recovers the disasters it creates, that is why it thinks in those who rebuild, think, dream and make long-term sacrifices for the future.»
The new processing facility belongs to Montes del Plata, a venture funded with Swedish and Finnish (Stora Enso) and Chilean (Arauco). It will produce roughly 1.3 million tons of pulp per year for the fabrication of paper, although the operating capacity allows for production of up to 1.45 million tons.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald