March 24, 2023 (press release) –
March 17, 2023
António Costa was at the Caima cellulosic fiber production unit, of the Altri Group, to see in loco the progress in the construction of the new biomass plant, a project that is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Program (PRR).
Accompanied by Paulo Fernandes, Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Altri Group, José Soares de Pina, CEO of Altri, and by Raquel Almeida, Industrial Director of Caima, the Prime Minister highlighted the work already carried out in the new plant, within the scope of the “Caima Go Green” project. “ Is it finished? No. It is underway and will be completed in time , ”he said.
The new boiler, which should be completed and operational by the end of this year, represents a total investment of over 40 million euros, one of the largest in the interior of the country, with PRR financing. “We are in the interesting phase of the Mobilizing Agendas, the execution phase”, added António Costa, highlighting the execution of the PRR.
Through this investment, “ Caima will become the first cellulosic fiber factory in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the first in Europe to operate without the use of fossil fuels ”, said José Soares de Pina, CEO of Altri.
The new plant will increase the energy production capacity from Caima's residual forest biomass, allowing it to respond to all of the plant's thermal energy needs and will also reinforce the injection of green energy into the energy grid.
In front of an audience that included António Mendonça Mendes, Deputy Secretary of State for the Prime Minister, Pedro Cilínio, Secretary of State for the Economy, as well as Luís Guerreiro, President of IAPMEI, Pedro Dominguinhos, President of the National Monitoring Committee of the PRR, and Sérgio Oliveira, Mayor of Constância, António Costa highlighted Caima as an example of decarbonization, but also of innovation.
Caima will see its production capacity reinforced, as well as the recovery of waste, producing acetic acid and furfural for industries such as, among others, cosmetics, “ in a circular economy logic ”, noted the Prime Minister, stressing the reference that is the Altri Group in this field.
“ This is a group for whom the forest has value and who values the forest ”, added the Head of Government, noting the need to increase the resilience of the Portuguese forest. And for that, having a factory like Caima's, which is over 135 years old, is an important help in the sense that residual biomass is also used. “ By valuing biomass we protect our forest ”, he concluded.
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