Saica Group inaugurates its first biomass plant in France

Saica group has inaugurated its first biomass plant at its paper mill in Venizel, France. With Euro 41 million investment as of today, the biomass plant uses recycled wood and rejections from the production process to meet the demand of the steam process. The biomass plant, an example of circular economy, avoids sending waste to landfill by giving a second life to recycled wood, as the company says in the press release received by Lesprom Network.

The biomass plant generates all the required energy to operate the Saica Venizel paper mill, using 75,000 tonnes of discarded wood and 26,000 tonnes of by-products generated on the paper and pulp production process, which were formerly discarded. 

This way the plant displays its commitment to the principles of the circular economy: 280, 000 tonnes of paper and cardboard are gathered in a radius of 150 kilometers to produce recycled paper, while 75,000 tonnes of discarded wood are collected in a radius of 80 kilometers to produce energy.

The new equipment fully contributes to sustainable development through:

• A 71% decrease in on site CO2 emissions (46 500 tonnes every year).

• An 89% reduction in consumption of natural gas, replaced by energy-from-waste.

In France, Saica has 22 production sites, all activities combined, and employs nearly 2,300 direct employees. In the Hauts-de-France, the group is located in Venizel (Saica Paper and Saica Pack), Doullens (Saica Pack) and Poix-de-Picardie (Saica Pack). These 4 sites represent 486 direct jobs.