MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay sanctions Finnish paper company UPM for caustic soda spill into watercourse

It was a spill of 900 to 1,000 cubic meters of caustic soda, it was reported.

Uruguay's Ministry of the Environment will fine the Finnish paper mill UPM after a spill of approximately one million liters from one of its plants located in the center of the country affected a watercourse that flows into the Río Negro. This event, according to official sources, occurred in August and was “accidental”.

Gerardo Amarilla, the Deputy Minister of Environment, told EFE that while the investigation into the incident is still “in progress,” the ministry suggests an economic penalty of around 1,000 Reajustable Units. In other words, approximately 1.5 million Uruguayan pesos (25,800 dollars) as of September.

The Uruguayan news magazine Sudestada reported that it was a spill of 900 to 1,000 cubic meters of caustic soda, which is equivalent to approximately one million liters. The spill occurred from a pool that was not suitable for storing this product, as detailed by the media.

The accident is said to have occurred when “a wall collapsed and caused the spillage of some products” into a stream connected to the Río Negro, which crosses the country from east to west in the Paso de los Toros area. Amarilla said an inspection was carried out at UPM's plant located in the department (province) of Tacuarembó (central Uruguay).

“The Ministry of Environment confirmed the situation and the damage, took samples of both the fauna and flora, as well as the water in the stream, which is a shallow watercourse, and that's when they initiated an investigation,” he stated, adding that in addition to the economic fine, the company will be required to repair the damage to the ecosystem in the affected area.

The senior official pointed out that now, as with any penalty, “the offender” has the opportunity to present their defense.

“The company evidently acknowledged the situation, and in a way, what this situation demonstrates, as have others in the past, is that there is a functioning system of controls for this and other companies in the country, and it works well,” emphasized the Deputy Minister.

UPM inaugurated its second pulp plant in the country in June, highlighting it as “one of the most competitive and sustainable in the world,” with an investment of 3.47 billion dollars (3.12 billion euros).

The company's first plant (then named Botnia) has been operational since 2007 in Fray Bentos, the capital of the department of Río Negro on the west coast of the country, bordering Argentina. It led to a diplomatic conflict between the governments of Néstor Kirchner and Tabaré Vázquez due to environmental protests that included bridge blockades for several years.