Segezha Group and the Republic of Karelia confirm intention to construct a state-of-the-art pulp and paper industrial complex
On June 3, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2021), Mikhail Shamolin, President of Segezha Group (a Sistema company), and Arthur Parfenchikov, Head of the Republic of Karelia, signed a letter of intent for the implementation of the “Segezha West PPM Construction Project”.
The project has received an estimated RUB 178 billion in investments. Upon completion, the complex is projected to have an annual production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes, bringing 700 high-tech jobs to the region. The facility will process pulpwood from Karelia and foster growth in non-commodity exports and import substituted products with high-added value. It will also support ecology in the city of Segezha, improve the city’s heat and power supply, and allow Segezha Group to expand its charitable initiatives in the region to improve the wellbeing and socio-economic levels of the local community.
Arthur Parfenchikov, Head of the Republic of Karelia: “We believe that this large-scale Segezha Group project is of great strategic importance, both for the Segezha region and for Karelia as a whole. It includes development of a state-of-the-art plant which will function in complete compliance with all applicable environmental standards and regulations. The Segezha West project will also boost development in Karelia across different spheres, such as construction, transport, logistics, and logging.”
Mikhail Shamolin, President of Segezha Group: “As part of the Segezha West project, we will construct a state-of-the-art biotechnological complex using the best available technologies available in the pulp and paper manufacturing industry. In December 2020, we signed a trilateral agreement with the Republic of Karelia and Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development on the protection and promotion of investments and received residential status in Russia’s Arctic zone. Today’s document solidifies our collective efforts. The creation of a new pulp and paper manufacturing complex will have a positive effect on the forestry industry not only in the Republic of Karelia, but across the entire northwest region of Russia. This could well represent the first step toward shifting the balance of power in the forestry industry at the international level. Commissioning the Segezha West biotechnological complex will also enable us to address ecological challenges in the city of Segezha, as well as issues related to the city’s heat and power supply.”