KaiCell Fibers biorefinery project has a very remarkable impact on regional economy and employment
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
KaiCell
Fibers is a joint venture created by the regional council of Kainuu and NC
Capital Partners with the aim of building a modern pulp and bioproducts plant
in Kainuu region of Finland. In early 2017, the
Blog reported that the venture had begun the feasibility study for its future
biorefinery. The biorefinery concept was made up of three distinct parts: A
state-of-the-art chemical pulping line; A bioproduct unit, producing a major
volume novel fibre; An innovation driven bioecosystem entity, where multiple
players can derive benefits from the by-products of the two above plants.
Figure 1. KaiCell Fibers Ltd has signed a
preliminary agreement with the Paltamo municipality on terms of the mill site
area purchase (photomontage with images taken from Kaicell Fibers website)
Some recent advancements on the development of
the project have been disclosed in a press
release of the company:
- Pöyry
Finland Ltd has completed a survey on socio-economic impacts of KaiCell
Fibers’ biorefinery. It will have a significant economic influence in the
province of Kainuu and for Finland:
Impact on
the total output of: Finland / Kainuu region
|
Close to 1,000
M€. / Over 700 M€.
|
Employment
indirect effects when the mill is operational in: Finland / Kainuu region
|
Almost 2,000
jobs. / 1,190 jobs.
|
Employment
effect of the construction period in Finland
|
6,400
person-years.
|
Increase
on gross product of Finland / Kainuu region
|
About
0,2%. / 12 %.
|
– KaiCell Fibers has signed a preliminary
agreement with the Paltamo municipality on terms of the mill site area purchase
on 9th of April. The plot of land was acquired for this purpose by the Paltamo
municipality in summer 2016.
- The company has submitted an environmental
permit application to the Regional Administrative Office of Northern Finland
(AVI) in November 2018. It is expected that the environmental permit could be
granted during this year.
Initially, the start-up of the production was
planned to commence in 2020. Obviously, it is a difficult target to reach
taking into account that the environmental permit is still under revision and the
preliminary agreement for the purchase of the land has just been signed. Now, the
goal is to make an investment decision in 2019, after which a three-year
construction phase will begin. The biorefinery production would start by 2023.
The project continues to move forward and the figures show that it will create
prosperity to a wide area and in a sustainable way.