BRASIL (Notifix).-Berneck announced that it expects to produce at the end of September its first MDF board at its new plant in Curitibanos (SC). The project, which required an investment of about R / 350 million in its first stage includes an MDF plant, a power plant to generate steam and a low pressure lamination line. The new MDF line will have an installed capacity of 1,400 m3 per day or 504,000 m3 / year. The second phase of the project, scheduled to start in 2012, includes a pine saw mill. The third and final stage, forecasted to culminate in 2014, includes an MDP plant with an installed capacity of 690,000m3 / year and a low pressure lamination line. Initially the power station will serve own needs but it is contemplated to start cogenerating energy by burning its residues and reaching a capacity of 9.8 MW/h, about 40% of the electrical needs of the entire manufacturing facility. According company information, the new Berneck manufacturing unit in Curitibanos will generate over 350 direct jobs and around 3,500 indirect jobs.