Unipar raises R$672 million from BNDES for sustainable project in SP

It will raise R$672.9 million in financing from the (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) to implement energy efficiency and CO₂ emissions reduction projects at the Cubatão Factory, in São Paulo.

The petrochemical company will use the amount raised to replace mercury and diaphragm technologies in the production of chlorine and soda. The amount corresponds to two lines of credit:

• R$400 million from the Climate Fund;
• R$ 272.9 million from BNDES Finem Meio Ambiente.

The advantage of adopting a membrane cell is the production of a purer caustic soda solution with lower energy consumption, as it requires less steam than diaphragm technology.

When the works and equipment exchanges are completed, scheduled for the end of 2025, the operation will reduce its energy consumption by 18%, as well as reduce CO₂/GHG (Greenhouse Gases) emissions by more than 70 thousand tons per year. year. This economy corresponds to the residential demand of around 340,000 people.

The discontinuation of mercury technology is directly related to compliance with the Minamata Convention, which limits the use of mercury due to problems that the metal causes to the environment and health.

“With the framing and approval of this financing, we concluded the financing plan for our Cubatão technological modernization project, with access to competitive lines that improve the Company’s debt profile, combining positive environmental impacts, lengthening the term and cost reduction . This way we achieve better conditions for our sustainable growth plans”, highlights Alexandre Jerussalmy, CFO of Unipar.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE

With the full disbursement of new financing, the estimate is that Unipar’s average indicative financing cost will be reduced from CDI + 1.51% per year to CDI + 0.65% per year and the average term of Unipar’s debt will increase by current 4.4 years to around 6.5 years, when the lines are disbursed.