Heineken today received environmental approval to construct a new 5 million hectoliter brewery in the municipality of Passos in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. The Industry Chamber of the State Council for Environmental Policy (Copam), at a meeting last Thursday, issued a permit allowing Heineken to carry out the installation under the conditions set out in the environmental permit and in compliance with the environmental conditions set for each stage of the licensing.
The now granted license is a very important step for Heineken since the brewing giant had to stop its initial plans for a brewery in Pedro Leopoldo, in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil in October 2021 following public protests against it. Another selection process was opened to choose a new location for the brewing plant and Heineken finally chose to settle in Passos, due to water availability, socioeconomic development and logistical ease for supplying the state of Minas Gerais and the Southeast region. (inside beer, 27.4.2022)
Heineken will invest around BRL 1.8 billion (USD 358m) in the new unit, generating 350 direct jobs and 11 thousand indirect ones. The start of operations is scheduled for 2025.
