Holmen Paper recently announced that it plans to invest SEK 200 million in restructuring the energy supply at its Hallsta Paper Mill in Sweden. This is the single largest investment in the mill since the PM 11 was built in 2002.
The planned measures strengthen the mill’s competitiveness and form part of the transition to a two-machine mill.
In late 2012, Holmen decided to close down one of the mill's three paper machines, PM 3, during the second half of 2013. The paper machine manufactures 140,000 tonnes of SC paper annually "for a market with excessive overcapacity," the company said.
“We’re providing Hallsta Paper Mill with completely new opportunities for the future,” said Henrik Sjolund, head of Holmen Paper. “By improving heat recovery from paper machines and pulp manufacture, we’ll be able to run the mill in a more energy-efficient manner.”
The restructuring also involves closing two old solid fuel boilers, which will be possible when PM 3 is closed during the second half of 2013, the company noted.
