Last year, Metsä Group announced the construction of a sawmill in Rauma/FI. Now, the starting gun has been fired. Production in the sawmill is to start during the third quarter of 2022.
According to Metsä Group, the new sawmill is to produce around 750,000 m³ of pine sawn timber a year (cutting approx. 1.5 million m³/year) and is going to be a global leader in technology and efficiency. The use of imaging and artificial intelligence in different stages of the sawing process is an example. Similar technology is not yet in use anywhere in the sawmill industry.
“This next-generation sawmill is an important step forward for the entire industry. The new technology allows for the transition from workstations to control room monitoring and continuous operation. The key elements of the sawmill’s operating model include employees’ in-depth expertise and multiple skills as well as user maintenance,” says Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre. “The global demand for high-quality sawn timber is going to increase, especially in the demanding component and woodworking industries.”
Around 100 people will be employed at the new sawmill. The sawn timber will be sold mainly in Europe and Asia. Logistically, the location is excellent because it facilitates the efficient integration into the pulp mill and smooth sawn timber logistics for customers through the Port of Rauma.
Veisto will deliver the new sawline. Negotiations with other equipment suppliers are underway. The company has signed an agreement with AFRY (fusion of AF and Pöyry) on planning the sawmill’s construction phase and with A-Insinöörit on construction management services.
“The full utilization of the wood as raw material is of central importance to our unique bioproduct concept. The bark and sawdust which accumulate during the production of sawn timber are used for bioenergy. Wood chips are used as raw material for pulp. Pulp production generates bioenergy for the sawmill, and the remaining energy is sold outside the production plant,” says Nousiainen.
“The pre-planning of the Kemi bioproduct plant has made good progress. We expect to reach the decision-making stage in autumn 2020, when the environmental permit process is finalized,” says Ilkka Hämälä, President and CEO of Metsä Group.
The bioproduct plant in Kemi is to produce around 1.5 million tons of softwood and hardwood pulp a year as well as numerous other bioproducts. It would employ around 250 people directly in Finland and a total of approximately 2,500 people across its direct value chain. The plant’s annual pulpwood consumption, which is purchased mainly in Finland, is going to amount to roughly 7.6 million m³. The plant is not going to use any fossil fuels at all and should have a self-sufficiency rate of 250% when it comes to electricity. This is going to further strengthen Metsä Group’s position as an electricity producer based on Finnish renewable fuels.
