The first next-generation bioproduct mill – towards a carbon neutral society

Leading the industry to a new era of resource efficiency

Metsä Group built the first next-generation bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland – the largest investment of the European forest industry with a value of €1.2 billion. The new mill, starting in the third quarter of 2017, leads the industry to a new era of resource efficiency through operating with no fossil fuels and fossil CO2 emissions, being the most energy-efficient pulp mill in the world and utilising 100% of the production side streams in an industrial ecosystem built with partners.The new mill generates 2.4 times the amount of renewable electricity it consumes. It increases the renewable energy production in Finland by 2 percentage points. The mill also produces a large variety of biomaterials and biochemicals.The mill is a flagship project of a resource-wise bioeconomy and circular economy, using both the raw material and the production side streams efficiently. For example, the sludge from the process is used for biogas production by our partner EcoEnergy SF to replace fossil fuels in traffic and industry. Another circular economy solution implemented at the mill is capturing sulphur emissions and converting them back to sulphuric acid for the process of the mill.

This major investment brings more than 2,500 jobs throughout the value chain in Finland, including 1,500 new jobs. It increases the value of exports by around €500 million per year. The new mill will also diversify the structure of the Finnish forest economy and bioeconomy by introducing new bioproducts with high value added.