Stora Enso finalises divestment of its Kotka Mills to OpenGate Capital

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STORA ENSO OYJ STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 1 July 2010 at 10.30 GMT                  
Stora Enso has finalised the divestment of its integrated mills at Kotka in     
Finland and its laminating paper operations in Malaysia to private equity firm  
OpenGate Capital as announced on 22 April 2010. The total consideration         
including earn-out is up to EUR 24 million.                                     

The divestment is part of the plan to focus Stora Enso's business portfolio     
announced on 19 August 2009. As part of the transaction, Stora Enso is divesting
its laminating paper, special coated magazine paper and sawmill businesses at   
Kotka. The transaction also includes the fully-owned laminating paper subsidiary
in Malaysia, and the business operations of the Tainionkoski paper machine 7,   
which remains in Stora Enso's ownership, but is leased to the new owner. The    
Kotka mill site and its buildings are included in the divestment.               

Based on 2009 annual figures, the divestment is expected to reduce Stora Enso's 
annual sales by EUR 203 million, improve its annual operating profit by EUR 11  
million and reduce its working capital by EUR 24 million. This operating profit 
improvement of EUR 11 million is included in the estimate of EUR 140 million to 
EUR 160 million profit improvement arising from the proposed closures,          
divestments and product swaps announced on 19 August 2009.                      

The divestment reduces Stora Enso's annual production capacity by 180 000 tonnes
of machine-finished coated paper (MFC), 200 000 tonnes of laminating paper,     
40 000 tonnes of Imprex products and 230 000 m3 of sawnwood. The 570 employees  
affected, including 480 working at Kotka, 50 at Tainionkoski and 40 in Malaysia,
are transferring to the service of the new owner. Stora Enso and OpenGate       
Capital made an agreement about wood supply as part of the divestment.          

About OpenGate Capital                                                          
OpenGate Capital is an opportunistic private equity firm that acquires          
controlling interests in businesses with solid fundamentals that exhibit        
opportunities for operational improvements and growth. Established in 2005,     
OpenGate Capital has a global footprint with headquarters in Los Angeles,       
California and a principal office in Paris, France. OpenGate is served by a     
seasoned team of M&A and operating professionals that bring the skills needed to
acquire, operate and build successful companies. The partners of OpenGate have  
executed more than 100 transactions worldwide ranging from corporate            
divestitures, turnaround acquisitions, industry consolidations and other special
situations investments across a wide array of industries and geographic markets.


For further information, please contact:                                        
Markus Rauramo, CFO, tel. +358 2046 21121                                       
Veli-Jussi Potka, EVP, Strategy and M&A, Packaging, tel. +358 2046 21486        
Päivi Kauhanen, Director, Communications in Finland, tel. +358 50 598 9560      



www.storaenso.com                                                               
www.storaenso.com/investors                                                     



Stora Enso is a global paper, packaging and wood products company producing     
newsprint and book paper, magazine paper, fine paper, consumer board, industrial
packaging and wood products. The Group is the world leader in forest industry   
sustainability. We offer our customers solutions based on renewable raw         
materials. Our products provide a climate-friendly alternative to many          
non-renewable materials, and have a smaller carbon footprint. Stora Enso is     
listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Index. Stora Enso
employs some 27 000 people worldwide, and our sales in 2009 amounted to EUR 8.9 
billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and 
Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs 
(SEOAY) in the International OTCQX over-the-counter market.                     



STORA ENSO OYJ                                                                  





Jari Suvanto			Ulla Paajanen-Sainio

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