Rentech, Inc. (NASDAQ:RTK) today announced a new long-term processing
agreement between its subsidiaries, Fulghum Fibres Chile (Fulghum),
Forestal Pacifico and Forestal Los Andes, and Astillas Exportaciones
Limitada (Astex Ltda.), the Chilean subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsubishi
Corporation.
The new processing agreement would expand the volume of eucalyptus wood
to be processed and sold under contract to Astex Ltda. The five-year
contract includes the mutual option to extend for two additional
five-year terms. The contract provides for guaranteed minimum volumes
using a base fee, excess fee and shortage fee arrangement, similar to
the tolling contract structure of Fulghum’s North American contracts.
Fulghum will rebuild its current mill in Concepción, Chile, near the
port of Puchoco to increase production capacity. With the expansion, the
annual processing capacity of the mill will increase from 180,000 bone
dry metric tonnes (BDMT) to 400,000 BDMT of logs with bark. In addition,
the facility’s capacity to process logs without bark will increase from
40,000 to 100,000 BDMT per year. The mill will become Fulghum Fibres’s
largest chip mill in South America.
Rentech’s subsidiary, Forestal Pacifico, will process the bark produced
from the mill and sell it as biomass fuel to local industrial customers.
Rentech’s trading subsidiary, Forestal Los Andes, will utilize
uncommitted capacity at the mill to produce chips for sale in South
America or abroad.
“This agreement cements Fulghum Fibres’s position as a significant world
player in the pulp, paper and packaging industry,” said Sean Ebnet,
senior vice president of fibre business development for Rentech. Mr.
Ebnet continued, “Our best-in-class proprietary eucalyptus debarking
system gives us a unique value proposition in Chile by providing a
critical cost competitive solution for the wood processing needs of our
customers. Clearly, Astex Ltda. recognizes this value and has expanded
its debarking and chipping business with Fulghum Fibres.”
“The growth and demand we are seeing in our wood processing business is
outstanding,” said D. Hunt Ramsbottom, president and chief executive
officer of Rentech. “This agreement highlights the success of our wood
fibre processing strategy and our approach to building and operating
complementary platforms in chipping and pellets. The relationship with
Astex Ltda. and Mitsubishi will help drive Fulghum’s diversified growth
and leadership in the expanding global wood fibre industry.”
The project’s unlevered return is expected to be in the high teens based
on the guaranteed minimum volumes under the new agreement with Astex
Ltda. Utilization of any uncommitted capacity of the expanded mill would
result in higher returns.
The total cost of the new chipping mill and debarker project is expected
to be $8.6 million. The full capital cost is being financed with debt
from Chilean banks. Construction of the new chip mill is expected to
begin within the next several weeks with full commissioning scheduled
for early 2015.
About Rentech, Inc.
Rentech, Inc. (NASDAQ:RTK) owns and operates wood fibre processing, wood
pellet production and nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing businesses.
Rentech offers a full range of integrated wood fibre services for
commercial and industrial customers around the world, including wood
chipping services, operations, marketing, trading and vessel loading,
through its subsidiary, Fulghum Fibres. The Company’s New England Wood
Pellet subsidiary is a leading producer of bagged pellets for the U.S.
heating market. Rentech manufactures and sells nitrogen fertilizer
through its publicly-traded subsidiary, Rentech Nitrogen Partners, L.P.
(NYSE: RNF). Please visit www.rentechinc.com
and www.rentechnitrogen.com
for more information.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about matters such as:
our ability to complete the wood chip mill on a timely basis and on
budget; the expected returns and increased production rates of the
project; and the outlook for our wood processing business. These
statements are based on management’s current expectations and actual
results may differ materially as a result of various risks and
uncertainties. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ
from those reflected in the forward-looking statements are set forth in
the Company’s prior press releases and periodic public filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available via Rentech’s
website at www.rentechinc.com.
The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the
date of this press release and Rentech does not undertake to revise or
update these forward-looking statements, except to the extent that it is
required to do so under applicable law.
Copyright Business Wire 2014