Metsä Group has interrupted pulp and containerboard production at the Kemi industrial complex in Finland after a gas explosion in the evaporation plant at Metsä Fibre's Kemi pulp mill on 21 March.
There were no serious injuries reported. The extent of the damage is currently being investigated.
Metsä Group expects pulp and kraftliner production at the Kemi mill to be suspended for 10 to 12 weeks. This is how long it would take to complete the repair works at the pulp mill, the group explained. Metsä Board's Kemi kraftliner mill was not damaged in the explosion, but it was reportedly forced to shut down because unbleached pulp needed by the board mill cannot not be produced without the chemical recovery of the Kemi bioproduct mill.
Metsä Board was investigating possibilities of restarting board production in Kemi at a significantly lower production level during the repair work, or possibilities to offer alternative products to customers, the company said.
The Kemi containerboard mill has a capacity to produce 465,000 tpy of white-top kraftliner. The bioproduct mill's capacity stands at 1 million tpy of softwood pulp, 300,000 tpy of hardwood pulp and 180,000 tpy of unbleached pulp.
