Kemira selected as chemicals supplier for Botnia's pulp mill in Uruguay

Oct 04, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Kemira and Botnia have signed an agreement for the supply of chemicals to Botnia's pulp mill in Uruguay. Kemira will build chemical plants in the site of Botnia's pulp mill which is to be built in Fray Bentos, Western Uruguay. Kemira's chemicals production will include sodium chlorate, chlorine dioxide and oxygen. As the project proceeds, further evaluations will be made concerning potential alternatives of producing hydrogen peroxide. Kemira's investment will total approx. Euro 60 million. The project in Uruguay gives for the first time strong evidence of how highly Kemira's customers value the possibility of having one supplier to deliver the whole chain of pulp bleaching chemistry products to their pulp production. As the second biggest pulp and paper chemicals producer globally, Kemira is in a position to offer complete solutions for major pulp and paper producers all over the world. With regard to the project in Uruguay, our comprehensive competences were essentially completed through the acquisition of Finnish Chemicals, says Kemira's CEO Lasse Kurkilahti. For the most part, future new production capacity in short-fibre pulp will be built in South-America and Asia. These regions can supply the industry with fibre raw material with fast growth capacity, e.g. eucalyptus which will grow ready for harvesting in about eight years. Eucalyptus is especially suited for non-coated fine paper and tissue paper qualities. The best technology available will be used in the construction of Botnia's and Kemira's plants in Uruguay, and the plants will come up to all the strict European environmental norms. Raw material procurement for the chemicals production will be based on suppliers in the area. Botnia will be supplying electricity, the main raw material of the plants. The chemical plants in Uruguay will be based on Kemira's own process know-how for the most part, with mostly Finnish engineering and design. The construction of the plants will employ max. 300 persons locally. When completed, these plants will employ in all 25 persons, and they will be trained during the project. Plant construction and foundations for equipment will be started in Uruguay during the second quarter in 2006. The first installations of equipment have been scheduled to start in mid-2006, with pulp production to be brought on stream during the third quarter in 2007.