In Sweden, forest industry major SCA has now permanently closed paper machine LWC4 at its Ortviken site in Sundsvall. With this closure, all of SCA’s production of publication paper has come to an end. While this marks the end of an era at SCA Ortviken, it also marks the start of a renewed one for Ortviken.
SCA first announced in August 2020 its intention to invest SEK 1.45 billion (≈EUR 140.58 million) in the production of chemically pre-treated thermo-mechanical pulp (CTMP) at its Ortviken paper mill in Sundsvall, and in September 2020 it confirmed the intention.
The company has now permanently closed paper machine LWC4 at Ortviken marking SCA’s exit from all publication paper production. Publication paper production started at Ortviken in 1958 with the production of newsprint.
Ortviken grew first as a producer of newsprint and then coated publication papers for magazines and commercial print and has produced up to 800 000 tonnes per annum and was one of the world’s largest mills for publication paper production.
While the closure of LWC4 marks the end of SCA’s publication paper era, it also heralds a new era with the textile recycling company Re:newcell that will build the world’s first commercial-scale “Circulose” production line at Ortviken.
