HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden has inaugurated SCA’s Östrand pulp mill in Timrå. The SEK 8 billion (≈ EUR 762 million) expansion is one of Sweden’s largest industrial investments ever. "A lot of Sweden’s prosperity has been built by forests and the forest industry’s products. But the forest has not only shaped Sweden’s history. It also provides the raw material of our future in the shape of green electricity and biofuels”, said HM King Carl XVI Gustaf during his inauguration address.
More than 300 guests came to take part in the grand opening of the Östrand pulp mill. The guests were an international gathering of customers, suppliers to the project, the Swedish government, SCA’s shareholders and many others. King Carl XVI Gustaf used a sheet of pulp to break a ray of light and start a spectacular light show, marking the opening of the new pulp mill.
When it comes to forests and forest products, Sweden is a world leader. The forest creates export income and leading technology for Sweden and jobs in Sundsvall, Timrå and the rest of rural Sweden. The renewable forest resource plays an important role as we build a sustainable society. said Minister of Enterprise Ibrahim Baylan during the inauguration ceremony.
The guests were given a guided tour of the expanded mill including a visit to the new control centre where all the operational functions are gathered in the most modern possible work environment, resembling an air traffic control centre. Virtually all processes in the mill are monitored and managed from this control centre.
SEK 8 billion investment
SCA has invested SEK 8 billion (≈ EUR 762 million) in expanding the mill and to double it’s annual production capacity to 900 000 tonnes of bleached softwood kraft pulp, making Östrand the largest mill of its kind in the world. The investment enables SCA to be world class in terms of product quality and environmental performance.
To take part in a project like this has been fantastic. We have been able to complete the new mill on time and on budget. Above all, we have been able to carry out the project without serious accidents, said Ingela Ekebro, Project Director responsible for the three-year investment project.
The two biggest suppliers to the project have been Valmet that supplied the fibre line with a number of components, including the world’s largest softwood pulp digester, and Andritz that, among other projects, undertook a unique expansion of the recovery boiler.
The project has been partly financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB)
