FS starts-up operations at its third ethanol plant in Primavera do Leste, Mato Grosso

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May 29, 2023, 10:29 ET

With an investment of BRL 1.9 billion, the company expands its total production capacity to more than 560 million gallons of ethanol per year

PRIMAVERA DO LESTE, Brazil, May 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FS, one of Brazil's leading producers of ethanol and animal feed, is expanding its business with the start-up of its third industrial unit on May 1, in the municipality of Primavera do Leste, Mato Grosso.

BRL 1.9 billion has been invested in the new plant which, during construction, generated more than 8,000 indirect jobs, in addition to 205 direct jobs in the operation. The unit's total annual production capacity is 160 million gallons of ethanol and 570,000 tons of DDGs (Dried Distillers Grains). The investment, lower than the BRL 2.3 billion originally planned, was a result of cost optimization, and the operations started-up ahead of schedule.

"We were able to work efficiently and overcome the supply chain challenges to start operations thirty days earlier than originally planned," says Rafael Abud, CEO of FS. He goes on to say that "Primavera do Leste is a truly important region for FS due to its large supply of corn, and its strategic location for distributing our products."

FS has two other industrial units in Mato Grosso, in the municipalities of Lucas do Rio Verde and Sorriso, offering a combined total production capacity of 400 million gallons of ethanol per year. With the beginning of operation of the Primavera do Leste unit, the company continues to consolidate its position as one of the largest ethanol producers in Brazil, achieving a total production capacity of 560 million gallons of ethanol annually.

Its expansion plans include the opening of more industrial units in the state of Mato Grosso, and the goal of achieving a production capacity north of 1 billion gallons of ethanol per year by 2026.

Production capacity of Primavera do Leste unit:

1.3 million tons of corn
160 million gallons of ethanol
18,000 tons of corn oil
570,000 tons of DDGs
191 megawatts of electricity

About FS 
FS is the first ethanol industry in Brazil that uses corn in 100% of its production. Today, with its three units located in Lucas do Rio Verde, Sorriso and Primavera do Leste, all within the state of Mato Grosso, the company has the capacity to produce around 560 million gallons of ethanol per year. In addition, it has state-of-the-art technology to manufacture products for animal nutrition, known via the acronym DDG (Dried Distillers Grains), corn oil and bio-electricity. The company is currently undergoing an expansion whose goal is to achieve the production capacity of 1 billion gallons of ethanol per year by 2026. FS prioritizes and constantly invests in sustainability, with the goal of consolidating its sustainable development agenda and bolstering its long-term commitments to society. One of these initiatives is the deployment of the BECCS (Bio-energy with Carbon Capture and Storage) system, which could make it one of five companies worldwide as well as the first  from RenovaBio, to use BECCS, while simultaneously allowing the company to achieve a negative carbon footprint.

SOURCE FS