SAO PAULO, May 5 (Reuters) - Brazilian company

Copersucar's annual revenue will grow by $1.5 billion after its

majority-held subsidiary Eco-Energy reached a deal to sell and

distribute ethanol produced at Green Plains' ( GPRE ) plants in

the United States, Copersucar said on Monday.

As part of the deal, nine Green Plains ( GPRE ) distilleries will

join Eco-Energy's marketing base, increasing its annual sales

volumes by 50% to around 9 billion liters of ethanol, up from

roughly 6 billion liters currently, the firm said in a

statement.

As a result of the partnership, Eco-Energy now holds

some 15% of the U.S. domestic ethanol market, the statement

said.

"It's exciting to welcome Green Plains ( GPRE ) to the Eco-Energy

platform. Our partnership creates one of the largest ethanol

traders in North America," Eco-Energy's Chief Executive Craig

Willis said.

"This scale will result in cost reductions and

optimizations across the supply chain, as well as increased

access to low-carbon markets," he added.