The Regional State Administrative Agency granted Finnpulp an environmental permit for the bioproduct plant being planned for the Sorsasalo area in Kuopio, Finland. The permit conditions are, by far, the strictest ever set for any facility in the industry, whether in Finland or elsewhere in the world. Conditions are clearly harder than the requirements for the best practices in the industry, as set forth by the European Union.
Finnpulp has decided not to exercise its right to appeal the permit granted by the Regional State Administrative Agency. Instead, the company will comply with the conditions set for the plant’s operations. As such, the bioproduct plant will be the most environmentally friendly facility of its kind in the world.
Project preparations continue as planned in all areas. As its main priority in the near future, the company will explore solutions and technologies to enable the plant to operate within the permit conditions. The go-ahead decision of the investment is scheduled for the second half of 2018.
Once implemented, Finnpulp’s mill in Kuopio will be the largest softwood pulp mill in the world locating amongst some of the largest forest areas in Finland. The mill will produce softwood kraft pulp1.2 million tons per year and will utilize the world's most modern production technology. The new production facility will be the first pulp mill that has been designed and built around a digital ecosystem. The company aims to start production at the mill early next decade.
