Metsä to Increase Bioenergy Use at Kemi Mill

Metsä Group, Finland, will launch a feasibility study to increase the use and production of renewable energy sources at its Kemi pulp mill in Finland. One possible production technology that is being reviewed is a gasification plant that produces biofuel replacing the fossil fuel, i.e. oil, of the lime kiln. A similar gasification plant will be commissioned at the Joutseno pulp mill in Finland this summer, which means that the mill will become a carbon dioxide-neutral production plant during normal operation.

The feasibility study will focus on the technical concepts and business model of the investment options. The study will be completed by the end of the year.

"The goal of investment decisions made based on the feasibility study is to strengthen Metsä Group's position as a leader in the efficient production and use of bioenergy," saids Ismo Nousiainen, SVP, Production at Metsä Fibre.

The introduction of new production technology would increase the Kemi mill's use of wood-based fuels obtained from external suppliers. At the moment, the mill produces more energy than it needs. The self-sufficiency rate of the mill's electrical energy is about 141%.

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