Plans for a third large pulp mill in Uruguay are said to be moving ahead with support from the country’s president, José Mujica, despite concerns about the environmental impacts of such plants and their associated tree plantations. Mujica is “personally guiding” plans for the mill, says Sergio Botana, mayor of Cerro Largo, a department in northeast Uruguay that is mentioned as a likely site. The forecast follows news on June 24 that Uruguay’s second pulp mill, a joint venture of the Swedish and Finnish company Stora Enso and Chile’s Arauco, has begun operating. That plant is expected to churn out 1.3 million tons of pulp annually and, according to the company, will support 5,000 jobs and add US$844 million to Uruguay’s gross domestic product... [Log in to read more]