SAO PAULO (From news reports) - Chilean pulpmaker CMPC has signed a deal with Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul to evaluate building a new pulp plant there, which would require $4 billion in investments, it said on Monday.

The new project would have the capacity to produce up to 2.5 million metric tons of bleached hardwood kraft pulp (BHKP) per year, CMPC said in a securities filing, adding that investments in road and port infrastructure would also be needed.