Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, and Neles have signed a preliminary agreement of valve solutions for the bioproduct mill in Kemi, Finland. According to the preliminary agreement, Neles would deliver technically and economically optimal valve solutions to the new mill. The agreement also includes comprehensive maintenance and spare part services. The delivery’s degree of Finnish origin would be high, around 70%. The entire bioproduct mill project’s degree of Finnish origin is also expected to be high, in the Äänekoski bioproduct mill project it was 70%.
Neles will supply the new mill with Neles® ball valves, segment, and butterfly valves for on-off and control applications. The control valves are equipped with Neles® ND9000 series valve controllers, which have the capability of advanced performance follow-up and enable predictive maintenance planning activities. The optimal solutions will be selected in cooperation with Metsä Fibre.
The Kemi bioproduct mill project is progressing as planned. In addition to equipment purchasing, the project is at the moment focused on the environmental permit process, the financing negotiations, and the logistics required by the new mill. The decision of the EUR 1.5bn investment in the bioproduct mill will be made at this autumn of 2020 at the earliest after the environmental permit process has been completed and other prerequisites have been met. Project engineering started at the beginning of August 2020. This means the detailed planning of the mill’s technology, construction, installations, and commissioning, as well as preparation for the construction phase. The work is being carried out in cooperation with the four main implementation partners: Valmet, ABB, AFRY, and Fimpec.
