2. Uruguay
• Wood available for
industrial processes
2010.
Total m3
Eucalyptus 8.739.117
Pines 801.535
Total 9.540.652
3. Destiny of the wood
Harvested
• Energy 52%
• Paper mills 31%
• Sawmill 17%
Almost 4.8 millions of cubic meters of
wood are available to produce wood
pellet.
4. Economic Studies
• Minimum size plant: 25.000 tons/year.
• Cost of wood pellet plant*: USD
2.500.000
• Useful Life: 20 years
* Provided by CPM.
* Installation and operational costs are
not included.
5. Economic Studies
This economic study is focus in the raw
material and transportation. These 2 items
are the most sensitive variables in the wood
pellet production.
• Cost per green ton. U$D 60
• Cost of Delivered the green ton *1. U$D 6
• Cost of delivered the wood pellet to Europe
per ton *2. U$D 50
*1 Fifty kilometers of distance from the plant.
*2 Exportations to Europe in a 40¨full container.
6. Resume of Economic Studies
Profit per tone of wood pellet
Ton.
Selling Price: $190
Green ton Cost in plant: $ 66
Delivered cost to Europe: $ 50
$74
$74/ dry ton of wood pellets to cover all variable
costs (electricity, water, workers, taxes, etc.)
and provide a profit margin.
7. Conclusions
• We conclude that at the present, because of
the expansion of paper mills, is impossible
produce wood pellets from pulp wood,
because the cost of the wood is raising.
• We consider that the best way to produce
wood pellet in Uruguay is using the waste
wood, after the harvest operation. The main
goal is to assure the volume of waste wood.
• Considering that we need around of 200.000
cubic meters of waste wood to produce
25.000 tons of wood pellet per year.
