Follow the live stream from the Kemi bio- product mill.
Sustainble solutions already played a big role during the bioproduct mill’s planning phase.
The Kemi bioproduct mill, Metsä Fibre’s largest ever investment, began operating in September 2023. The mill operates completely fossil fuel-free and it is a frontrunner in environmental, energy and material efficiency. In addition to pulp, the mill produces various other bioproducts and generates biobased electricity at approximately 2.5 times its own consumption. The mill also functions as a platform for the manufacture of new fibre products that are still in development phase. According to Metsä Fibre’s CEO Ismo Nousiainen , responsibility and sustainable solutions already played a big role during the bioproduct mill’s planning phase. “Our customers need increasingly sustainable delivery chains to gain competitive advantages, and we want to support this development.” The Kemi bioproduct mill has been built using Best Available Techniques (BAT) and partly with more advanced BAT+ techniques. Examples of the mill’s modern solutions include electric woodyard cranes that unload wood from trains and lorries autonomously with the help of AI and machine vision. The mill’s wastewater is treated in a three-step process. As a result, wastewater emissions are significantly lower than the limit in the environmental licence for the old Kemi pulp mill despite the new mill’s higher production capacity. Two thirds of the raw wood used by the mill is transported by electric trains, which reduces the carbon dioxide emissions of wood supply. Metsä Fibre is also aiming to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions created by lorries transporting wood products by 30 per cent by 2030.
The start-up phase calls for team effort
According to Pekka Kittilä , Mill Manager at the Kemi bioproduct mill, the planning, building and commissioning of the bioproduct mill has been a unique project. “After a successful start, our goal has been to increase the efficiency of the mill, achieve stable production and ensure the quality of the produced pulp.” Kittilä says that the first year of operation has been marked by learning new things and efficient teamwork. “When you are fine-tuning a process and increasing production efficiency, the competence of and teamwork between your employees and equipment suppliers play an important role. We have an incredibly skilled and professional team with strong process know-how from the former mill. In addition, we can use the knowledge of experts at our other mills.” Kittilä also thinks that having been able to keep the quality and purity of the pulp on a good level is a significant success.
Explosion cut back on deliveries
In March 2024, during the start-up phase of the mill, there was a gas explosion at the evaporation plant in connection with welding work. The explosion caused large-scale material damage, and three people were mildly exposed to hydrogen sulphide gas.
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