UPM transfers ownership of 60 family houses and infrastructure for homes of local families in Tacuarembó and Durazno, Uruguay
Within the commitments made as part of its growth project in central Uruguay, UPM has delivered 60 homes to the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning (MVOT) built in the departments of Tacuarembó and Durazno to be awarded by the authorities to families in the area. In addition, the transfer included 320 housing modules that will be converted into another 100 permanent houses and two properties with the necessary infrastructure for the development of further housing projects.
The presentation held on 21 July in the city of Paso de los Toros, was attended by the MVOT minister, Raúl Lozano, the MVOT undersecretary, Tabaré Hackenbruch, the Mayor of Durazno, Carmelo Vidalín, the Mayor of Paso de los Toros, Luis Irigoín, and representatives of UPM.
Transferred infrastructure
The houses are in Paso de los Toros (Tacuarembó department) and Pueblo Centenario (Durazno), while the properties with infrastructure ready for future housing projects are located in the Meteorología neighborhood of Paso de los Toros and Moroni in Durazno city. In total, there are 60 ready-built family homes with three bedrooms and a bathroom, each house about 75 square metres, with outdoor gardens. These homes have large interior spaces which offer good levels of comfort and living conditions, with connections to the sanitation network, drinking water and heating systems, complying with all MVOT requirements to certify the quality of the houses.
In addition, there are 320 housing modules that, added to another 180 already assigned, will be converted into 100 permanent homes for families in the area. All these were used as accommodation for workers associated with the construction of the UPM Paso de los Toros pulp mill.
Benefits beyond the project
This transfer is incorporated into other properties already handed over to the State of Uruguay, in all cases with the necessary infrastructure already built. This has been made possible through an investment by UPM of more than USD 70 million to carry out its accommodation plan and regional works during the plant construction phase.
Altogether these 60 family homes and 600 modules translate into some 200 permanent housing solutions for Uruguayan families in different locations in the region.
A project on the scale of the UPM Paso de los Toros pulp mill, with adequate planning with the corresponding authorities, generates significant positive impacts in the interior of the country, transformations in the communities surrounding the mill and benefits beyond the project’s development phases and completion.