Espoo, Finland 16 August 2017 -- Metsä Group's next-generation bioproduct mill in Äänekoski came into operation as planned on Tuesday, 15 August 2017 at 6:00 in the morning. Pulp deliveries from the new mill to customers will begin in early September 2017. The construction project was carried out as planned, in accordance with its schedule and its EUR 1.2 billion budget.
Before the bioproduct mill started up, the old pulp mill in Äänekoski was shut down and its dismantling is currently in progress.
The bioproduct mill will achieve its nominal capacity approximately a year after start-up. The mill will produce 1.3 million tonnes of pulp per year, along with other bioproducts such as tall oil and turpentine. New bioproducts that already complement the product concept include product gas from bark, sulphuric acid from the mill's odorous gases, and biogas and biofuel pellets from sludge.
With this new bioproduct mill Äänekoski's industrial ecosystem is developing and growing, and the mill will be a platform for production of new bioproducts. Several processes and product paths are being actively studied. The most important new bioproduct development projects are lignin products, textile fibres, and biocomposites.
Metsä Group is a forerunner in sustainable bioeconomy utilising renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. Metsä Group focuses on wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards and tissue and cooking papers.
Metsä Group's sales totalled EUR 4.7 billion in 2016, and it employs approximately 9,300 people. The Group operates in some 30 countries. Metsäliitto Cooperative is the parent company of Metsä Group and is owned by approximately 104,000 Finnish forest owners.
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