Valmet selected as the main supplier for Södra Cell’s major pulp mill rebuild in Sweden

The order is included in Valmet’s second quarter 2014 orders received and is valued at around EUR 200 million.

Valmet’s delivery will contribute to Södra’s performance by significantly increasing the Värö mill’s pulp production capacity and energy efficiency. The order consists of a new continuous cooking plant and upgrades of wood handling, fiber line, evaporation plant, recovery boiler, recausticizing, flash dryer, pulp dryer and baling. On completion of the project, Värö will be one of the world's largest softwood sulphate pulp mills. The start-up of the renewed pulp mill is scheduled in the third quarter of 2016.

“We have good experiences of Valmet and feel confident that this project will be a success. We have worked closely together with Valmet in planning the project and it gives us a good start. This investment increases our pulp production, makes the mill more energy efficient and increases its bioenergy supply potential”, says Gunilla Saltin, CEO, Södra Cell.

“We are very pleased that Södra Cell trusted us with this significant order. It is a strong token of our technological leadership and competitiveness in the pulp technology market. Investments in pulp production are active at the moment and Valmet is strongly involved with many major on-going projects”, says Jyrki Holmala, President, Pulp and Energy Business Line, Valmet.

Significant employment impact

The estimated employment impact of the order is about 650 man years mainly in Sweden. A large part of the order will be delivered from Valmet’s operations in Sweden: the cooking plant and recausticizing from Karlstad, fiber line, flash dryer and baling from Sundsvall, and evaporation and recovery boiler from Gothenburg. The wood handling and pulp dryer delivery will come from Finland.

A prerequisite for construction start is the receipt of a permit from the Environmental Court of Appeal.

About Södra Cell

Södra is an economic association with a membership base of 51,000 forest owners in southern Sweden. Södra has built up a considerable production of paper pulp, wood products and biofuels. Södra employs about 3,800 people and has four business areas Södra Skog, Södra Cell, Södra Timber and Södra Interiör.

Södra Cell is one of the world's largest market pulp supplier, with a total annual production of 1.6 million tonnes.