International Paper prendra une participation de 50% dans Ilim Holding

INTERNATIONAL PAPER

Le géant américain du papier et le russe Ilim Pulp ont annoncé mercredi la signature d'une lettre d'intention pour la création d'une coentreprise qui constituera la plus importante alliance de ce genre dans le secteur du papier en Russie.

International Paper prendra une participation de 50% dans Ilim Holding, dont la capitalisation totale dans la coentreprise sera d'environ 1,3 milliard de dollars (1,03 milliard d'euros).

International Paper and Ilim Pulp, the largest forest products enterprise in Russia, have signed a letter of intent to establish a 50-50 joint venture, the largest foreign- domestic alliance in the Russian forest sector. The joint venture would be created through International Paper purchasing a 50-percent equity interest in Ilim Holding. The total valuation of Ilim Holding in the joint venture is approximately $1.3 billion. The joint venture's board of directors would include equal representation from International Paper and Ilim Pulp and would be headquartered in St. Petersburg.Ilim Pulp operates four pulp and paper mills located in the European and Siberian regions of Russia, and produces approximately 2.5 million tons annually of market pulp, uncoated papers and packaging. Ilim Holding is in the process of consolidating ownership of the individual mills into a single Russian open joint-stock company, Ilim Group, a subsidiary of Ilim Holding. A key element of the proposed joint venture strategy is a long-term investment program in which the joint venture would finance and invest approximately $1.2 billion in the four mills over approximately five years.