The Kemi bioproduct mill project of Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, is progressing according to plan and the mill’s foundation stone was laid on 13 September 2021.
The foundation stone was laid to the area of fibre line of the new mill by Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre, Jari-Pekka Johansson, Project Director of the Kemi bioproduct mill project, and Mika Vuoti, the on-site contact person. To ensure safety in terms of the coronavirus, the foundation stone was laid without the presence of guests.
Totalling EUR 1.6 billion, the investment in Metsä Group’s Kemi bioproduct mill is the largest in the history of the Finnish forest industry. Through its direct value chain, the new bioproduct mill will employ around 2,500 people in Finland once it is completed. This translates into some 1,500 more than the employment effect of the current Kemi pulp mill. The bioproduct mill project has a high degree of Finnish origin, approximately 70 per cent.
“The impact of this large-scale industrial investment is significant. The Kemi bioproduct mill will increase Finland’s annual exports by around EUR 0.5 billion and its annual positive income effect through the value of the wood raw material and the purchasing of Finnish labour is likewise roughly EUR 0.5 billion,” says Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre.
The total number of employees working during the construction phase is estimated to be about 15,000.
Operating entirely without fossil fuels, the Kemi bioproduct mill will produce annually some 1.5 million tonnes of softwood and hardwood pulp, as well as many other bioproducts. It will also produce 2.0 TWh of renewable energy a year, which is equal to approximately 2.5% of Finland’s total annual electricity production.
