Stora Enso has started a feasibility study and an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a possible investment in Oulu. The feasibility study and the EIA evaluate a potential conversion of the Oulu paper mill into packaging board production. The feasibility study is expected to be concluded by the end of 2018, and the EIA process is expected to take a minimum of 6 months. Currently, Oulu Mill has a production capacity of 360 000 tons of chemical softwood pulp and 1 080 000 tons of woodfree coated papers on two paper machines. The potential investment would include a new chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP) plant, a brown-based cartonboard line with a capacity of 450 000 t/a and a kraftliner line with a capacity of 400 000 t/a. The potential conversion of Oulu Mill would enable Stora Enso to further improve its position in the growing consumer board and packaging solutions businesses and take a major step in its transformation. The other option is to continue the current fine paper production. Click Read More below for additional information.

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. is announcing a temporary curtailment of its Intercontinental Pulp Mill due to the lack of available economic fibre. Following its annual turnaround maintenance that began on September 24, 2022 and lasted for two weeks, the facility has implemented a two-week curtailment. Regular operations are expected to resume on October 24, 2022. In total the four weeks of downtime is reducing Canfor Pulp's production output by approximately 28,000 tonnes of market kraft pulp. "Despite strong global pulp markets, we are experiencing a shortfall of economic fibre in British Columbia. The fibre for pulp mills is increasingly constrained due to the impacts of the decreasing allowable annual cut, the end of the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic, wildfires and reduced sawmill capacity in the province," said Kevin Edgson, President & CEO, Canfor Pulp. "We regret the impact of the downtime on our employees and are working to support them through this time."

SCA has launched a new tool with AI functionality for digital forestry planning. In 2023, small-scale tests were conducted to scale up to more extensive tests in 2024. “It’s incredibly exciting. It involves both new technology and new working methods that give us several advantages,” says Magnus Bergman, who leads SCA Forest’s technology and digitization staff. The goal is that by 2025, all forest planners at SCA Forest will use digital forestry planning to prepare for harvesting in SCA’s own forests. “Digital forestry site planning brings several positive aspects. The most important is that we achieve more efficient forestry site planning thanks to higher and more consistent quality of our forest data, and a large part of the planning work can be done in the office. Additionally, we can plan more during the winter,” says Magnus.