The investment enhances the factory's capacity to produce its own fossil-free electricity, aligning with Metsä Board’s target to eliminate fossil energy from production by 2030.
The upgraded turbine improves efficiency, enabling the biopower plant to meet 50% of the factory’s electricity needs, up from the previous one-third. Combined with the factory’s heat self-sufficiency, this development significantly reduces reliance on purchased electricity. Currently, 89% of the factory's electricity consumption is fossil-free, and the new investment will further increase this share.
“This investment reduces our fossil CO2 emissions by 3,000 tons annually, a 35% decrease. It also enhances electrical safety and stabilizes electricity costs for the factory,” said Petri Huiko, Factory Manager at Metsä Board Kyro.
The Kyro factory manufactures high-quality folding packaging boards and white kraft liners using virgin fiber from sustainably managed northern forests. Metsä Board aims for all its factories and raw materials to be fossil-free by the end of the decade.
Metsä Board, part of the Metsä Group, reported a turnover of €1.9 billion in 2023 and employs approximately 2,300 people. Metsä Group, whose parent company is owned by more than 90,000 Finnish forest owners, achieved a turnover of €6.1 billion in the same year.
Source: Metsagroup.com