The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has awarded Ence, Pontevedra, Spain, an extension of the concession to occupy land on which its pulp mill is located in Pontevedra. The extension is granted for 60 years, over the initial 50 years foreseen, given the announced investment plan committed for EUR 61 million at the facility.

The committed investments include EUR 30.2 million to significantly improve its mill efficiency and thereby boost its pulp and renewable energy capacity. In addition, the company will invest EUR 15 million for a new water treatment cycle that will minimize water effluent in the production process.

 

Ence also will sustain its commitment to environmentally improve its Pontevedra pulp mill, particularly in regard to odor, noise, and steam removal, as well as to guaranty its environmental reliability beyond legal requirements, with a close to EUR 12 million investment. Also, a EUR 4 million investment is dedicated to the design and development of a landscape integration project at the mill, thus significantly improving its visual presence in the Ria de Pontevedra.

With these investments, Ence intends to achieve the same pulp production costs level at Pontevedra mill as those reached at Navia mill, which is already one of the two most competitive pulp mills in Europe.