New project for Skarta in Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill site

Skarta, a builder of a clean future, has concluded an agreement regarding a new project in the bioproduct mill site in Kemi. The bioproduct mill is being built by Metsä Fibre, a part of Metsä Group. Skarta is a contractor in a project that includes onsite casting work of shell silos and a woodchip silo that will be located in Sahansaari.

In Skarta’s project, both its strong expertise in specialized construction and its mission to build a clean future are combined. The bioproduct mill in Kemi will operate entirely without fossil fuels and it is on top of the world in both environmental and energy efficiency.

“Skarta’s project includes demanding reinforced concrete structures that are among our core expertise. We have executed similar work in several demanding industrial investment projects. The current project in the mill site in Kemi is a good continuation for them”, says Jari Häkkinen, site manager at Skarta Finland Ltd.

The project is already a third one for Skarta in the Kemi bioproduct mill site. The company has previously carried out excavation work that will be finished in October regarding the larger project in a three-hectare area. At the same time, the new project that will continue until May 2022 is ready to begin. A total of roughly 20 employees will work at Skarta’s worksite. Skarta has a high, close to a 100-percent degree of domesticity in the bioproduct mill site.

“We are building the Kemi bioproduct mill together with the best professionals of their industry, and we require commitment to the objectives of the project regarding safety, timetable, and quality. Skarta operates in accordance with these principles, and we have been convinced by their expertise. Together we will execute a successful building project”, says Jari-Pekka Johansson, Project Director of the bioproduct mill project at Metsä Fibre.

Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill in Kemi is the largest domestic investment ever made in Finnish forest industry. The value of the investment is 1.6 billion euros, and it has a significant impact on the domestic industry. The company estimates that the positive impact on Finnish exports will be approximately half a billion euros annually, and the impact on the value of the raw material and employment will be as much as a billion euros annually. The foundation stone of the mill was laid on 13 September 2021, and the new bioproduct will be in operation during the third quarter of 2023.

The mill will produce annually 1.5 million tonnes of softwood and hardwood pulp, as well as other different bioproducts. In addition, the mill will produce 2.0 terawatt hours of wood-based renewable energy a year, which is equal to approximately 2.5 percent of Finland’s total electricity production.