Metsä Group Restarts Kemi Bioproduct Mill in Finland after March Explosion

June 20, 2024 - Metsä Group today said that it has restarted its Kemi bioproduct mill in Finland. The mill has been restarted in stages and has returned to production.

The mill was shut-down in March after a gas explosion occurred at mill's evaporation plant during welding work.

The repair work caused by the explosion has been completed and other annual maintenance work was done during the production shutdown, Metsä said.

"To ensure the high usability and the planned lifespan of the evaporation plant, the units damaged in the explosion will be completely replaced at a later date to be determined," the company said in a press release.

"The bioproduct mill is now continuing to increase production according to start-up plan," Metsä added.

The Kemi bioproduct mill, which started-up in September of 2023, has the capacity to produce 1,020,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of softwood pulp, 300,000 tpy of hardwood pulp, and 180,000tpy of unbleached pulp. In addition, the mill produces tall oil and turpentine, as well as two terawatt hours of renewable electricity per year.

Metsä Group uses wood to make recyclable products for the day-to-day lives of millions of people globally. The Group focuses on wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, paperboards, and tissue and greaseproof papers.

SOURCE: Metsä Group