BOTNIA'S ÄÄNEKOSKI MILL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF PRODUCTION
Botnia's Äänekoski mill produced its first bale of pulp on 14 April 1985,
exactly 20 years ago. Since then, the mill has turned out 8.2 million tonnes of
pulp. Äänekoski specializes in producing softwood and hardwood pulps designed
for the manufacture of printing papers and paperboards. Over 90 per cent of the
mill's pulp is used by paper and board mills in Finland. The mill has an annual
production capacity of 485,000 tonnes.
The needs of customers are the driving force behind the mill's operations - from
raw material procurement, product development and production through to delivery
of the product to the customer. The mill employs 225 people. Adding to this its
various business partners and networks, the mill's impact on employment is
considerable. The biggest impact is in wood procurement (380 man-years).
The mill uses around 2.5 million cubic metres of wood a year. Since production
began the mill has processed a total of some 40 million cubic metres of wood.
The mill's wood is procured by Metsäliitto Cooperative. Most of the softwood and
hardwood as well as sawmill chips used to produce BOTNIA pulps is brought to the
mill from the surrounding area of central Finland.
Twenty years on, Äänekoski mill still represents “best available techniques” in
relation to its basic process technology. It has always been considered
important to keep the mill in tip-top shape. Production efficiency has been
improved and the mill's environmental impacts reduced through carefully
considered investments. The most recent major investment concerned basic repairs
to the recovery boiler in summer 2004. Challenges facing the mill over the next
few years are to continue to develop pulp quality to meet customers' needs and
to further improve operating reliability and production efficiency.
Cost-effectiveness and environmental protection are everyday matters at the
mill, where the focus is on employee skills and continuous improvement of
working procedures.
Metsä-Botnia's Äänekoski pulp mill was built in 1982-1985 at a time when
environmental issues were attracting far more attention than ever before in
relation to pulp mill investments. The closure of old mills and the start-up of
a new mill together with a highly efficient activated sludge plant reduced the
biological oxygen demand of treated wastewaters by about 90 per cent.
Investments in modern process technology and measures to improve the smooth
running of the different processes have further reduced emissions to both water
and air. Since the early 1990s, the mill's phosphorus load to the recipient has
fallen by an average of one-fifth. Emissions to air have fallen to the extent
that the smell characteristic of pulp mills is now only noticeable during
process disturbances.
Thanks to the much reduced effluent loading, the Äänekoski-Vaajakoski
watercourse is an excellent sport fishing venue. Game fish, including brown
trout, have returned, and trout now spawn successfully in the rapids.
Oy Metsä-Botnia Ab
Oy Metsä-Botnia Ab - marketing name Botnia - is Europe's second biggest pulp
producer. Turnover in 2004 was € 1.1 billion, and the company employs around
1,600 people. Botnia's pulp mills are located at Joutseno, Kaskinen, Kemi, Rauma
and Äänekoski. Together, the mills have a total production capacity of 2.7
million t/a. Botnia is owned by UPM-Kymmene Corporation (47%), M-real
Corporation (39%) and Metsäliitto Cooperative (14%). More information is
available on the internet at www.metsabotnia.com
For more information please contact:
Pertti Hietaniemi, Vice President and Mill Manager, tel. +358 10 466 2220
Enquiries concerning the mill's construction should be addressed to Pekka
Kivelä, Senior Vice President, Group Communications, Metsäliitto Group, tel.
+358 10 469 4545
