Metsä Fibre, Andritz, sign agreement for wood processing equipment

Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, and Andritz have signed a preliminary agreement on wood raw material reception and feed equipment for the Kemi bioproduct mill in Finland.

The delivery includes two automated overhead cranes, as well as their installation and commissioning.

This type of fully autonomous, AI-based equipment is a new solution for the reception, storage and process feeding of wood raw material.

It also enables the minimization of the area needed at the mill for storing wood raw material.

The electrical equipment and the systematic placement of functions will enable wood yard operations to be run on fossil-free fuel. One of Metsä Group’s strategic sustainability goals is to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and the generation of fossil-based carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. The Kemi bioproduct mill will contribute to achieving this goal.

The minimization of the noise impacts of the wood yard was seen as a key aspect of the environmental impact assessment for the Kemi bioproduct mill.

The wood processing equipment will be placed in such a way that the wood unloading areas and the wood yard will be close to the equipment. This will minimize the need to transfer wood raw material.

The Kemi bioproduct mill project is progressing as planned in terms of equipment purchases, environmental permit process, financing negotiations and the logistics required for the new mill.

The project engineering started at the beginning of August 2020, which means the detailed planning of the mill’s technology, construction, installations and commissioning, as well as preparation for the construction phase.
The planning work will be carried out in cooperation with the four main implementation partners: Valmet, ABB, AFRY and Fimpec.

The decision concerning the EUR 1.5 billion investment in the bioproduct mill will be made in autumn 2020, at earliest. If implemented, the Kemi bioproduct mill will produce 1.5 million tonnes of softwood and hardwood pulp per year, as well as many other bioproducts.