Finland-headed forest industry major Stora Enso Oyj has announced that it will invest EUR 10 million at its Enocell pulp mill in Finland to replace fossil-based heavy fuel oil with renewable pitch oil. This will reduce the environmental impact of the operations and help in reaching the ambitious target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Currently, the main energy sources for Enocell pulp mill are renewable black liquor, bark, and sawdust powder, but fossil-based heavy fuel oil (HFO) is needed when the pulp mill is started up after maintenance stops or production disturbances.
By replacing HFO with pitch oil that is derived from wood, Enocell pulp mill aims at becoming a site running 100 percent on bioenergy and, thus, reducing its fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by almost 70 000 tonnes annually.
This is approximately 50 percent of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division’s fossil CO2 emissions and a significant contribution to achieving Stora Enso’s climate targets.
The investment in our Enocell Mill to end the use of fossil fuels during start-ups and production disturbances is another example of how Stora Enso constantly works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from operations and to deliver on the company’s ambitious climate targets, said Roy Antink, Acting Head of Sustainability at Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division.
Pitch oil is a pine-based, fossil-free oil that is a by-product of refined tall oil. The investment scope at Enocell Mill includes a pitch oil tank, foundations, and leaking basin, a pumping house with pumps, an unloading station, new pipelines, heaters, and automation.
Work is due to start immediately and is expected to be completed at the end of 2023
