Södra, Sweden, has started the expansion of its mill in Värö, Sweden. The Södra Board of Directors made a decision in February to invest four billion Swedish kronor in a massive expansion of the pulp mill in Värö, north of Varberg. The Land and Environment Court has now given Södra permission to begin the actual construction work. The expanded mill is scheduled to start up in the autumn of 2016.

 

 

 

The expansion involves increasing the current production capacity of 425,000 metric tpy to 700,000 metric tpy of pulp. This will make the mill one of the largest in the world in terms of softwood sulfate (kraft) pulp production.

 

"The paper pulp market is growing globally, and now it will be possible for us to continue to grow together with our customers. The expansion at Södra Cell Värö is a measure that will reinforce our market position. We already supply high-quality pulp to a number of different customer segments, and we can now develop and underpin this. Our aim is to be the first choice for customers," said Lars Idermark, Södra's CEO.

 

Valmet, Finland, and NCC, Sweden, have been selected as the main suppliers for the project. Valmet will be supplying a new continuous digester and upgrades to wood handling, the fiber line, evaporation plant, soda recovery boiler, causticization, flashdryer, drying machine, and baling.

 

NCC has been commissioned to carry out the groundwork, civil engineering works, and construction works, and was represented at the ceremony by Nils Bjelm, civil engineering segment manager at NCC Construction Sweden.

 

The expansion of Södra Cell in Värö will create 400 FTEs over a period of 10 years. The investment will also create new job opportunities at the mill and 220 job opportunities within surrounding businesses.