Kemi bioproduct mill is ramping up towards full capacity production and pulp deliveries to customers have started. It is planned to take approximately one year to reach full production capacity at the mill.
"When starting up a mill of this size, it is already clear that the production process must be optimised and the right process conditions must be sought to ensure continuous efficient production and high product quality. We have been actively working on this with our equipment suppliers and the work has paid off. Production continuity, production volumes and product quality have developed in the right direction. Full production capacity will be reached as planned in autumn next year," says Tomi Seppä, mill manager of the bioproduct mill.
"At the woodyard, we also introduced new technology for unloading wood raw material and feeding it into the process, the first in the world. Building and fine-tuning the autonomy of the woodyard's autonomous cranes and training the staff requires time to achieve flawless operation. This, too, is progressing according to the planned programme, and the efficiency and quality of the woodyard operations are constantly improving," Seppä continues.
Construction of the bioproduct mill started in February 2021 and took about two and a half years to complete. The €2.02 billion mill will produce 1.5 million tonnes of softwood and hardwood pulp annually, as well as numerous other bioproducts, including 2 terawatt hours of renewable electricity. The new bioproduct mill is world class in terms of production, environmental and energy efficiency and, despite its significantly higher production capacity, it will be below the emission limits of the environmental permit for the old pulp mill in Kemi.
Metsä Group
metsagroup.com
Metsä Group is leading the way in advancing the bioeconomy. We invest in growth, bioproduct development and a fossil free future. The raw material for our products is renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. We focus on the growth sectors of the forest industry: wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards, as well as tissue and greaseproof papers.
Metsä Group’s annual sales amount to approximately EUR 7 billion, and we have around 9,500 employees in 30 countries. We promote a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion. Our international Group has its roots in the Finnish forests: our parent company is Metsäliitto Cooperative which is owned by more than 90,000 forest owners.
Metsä Fibre
metsagroup.com/metsafibre
Metsä Fibre is a leading producer of bioproducts, biochemicals and bioenergy. We are the world’s largest producer of softwood market pulp and a globally significant manufacturer of sawn timber. There is a growing demand for our high-quality products, as renewable wood provides a responsible alternative to fossil-based materials.
In 2022 our sales totalled approximately EUR 3.1 billion, and we have around 1,600 employees. Metsä Fibre is part of Metsä Group.
Source: Metsä Fibre
