Doosan Škoda Power is involved in the construction of the largest pulp mill in the Northern Hemisphere. It is installing its 270 megawatt steam turbine there

• The Czech company Doosan Škoda Power delivered a 270 megawatt steam turbine to one of its plants as part of an order for the Finnish company Metsä Group

• The construction of the new factory for 1.85 billion euros, which is also the largest pulp mill in the entire northern hemisphere, represents the largest investment in the Finnish wood processing industry to date

• The company’s management plans to start operation of the factory in the second half of next year

The Czech engineering company Doosan Škoda Power will participate in the production of organic products in the Finnish village of Kemi. It supplied a 270 megawatt steam turbine to the Metsä Group there, which is committed to operating without the use of fossil fuels, and is now installing it there. The turbine will be part of Metsä Fibre’s brand new factory, which will become the largest wood processing plant in the Northern Hemisphere.

“We have set high material, energy and environmental goals for the plant for the production of organic products in Kemi. Only the best available technologies will be used. That’s why we demand that our partners also provide the most technically reliable solutions,” comments Jari-Pekka Johansson, director of the biopulp plant project of subsidiary Metsä Fibre. According to him, the solution of Doosan Škoda Power meets these criteria.

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The newly built plant, located approximately 100 kilometers north of Oulu, promises the best available technology to produce 1.5 million tons of softwood and hardwood pulp annually and generate 2.0 TWh of electricity from renewable sources. The mentioned amount corresponds to roughly 2.5 percent of Finland’s total electricity production and 2.5 times the consumption of the entire plant. This move is intended to further strengthen Metsä Group’s position as a major renewable energy producer.

The order was complicated by the pandemic

According to Doosan Škoda Power project manager Jindřich Závodný, the implementation of the project was not without complications. The engineering, supply and production phases were disrupted by the pandemic, specifically restrictions that caused significant delays. Due to covid, the costs of individual raw materials also increased. “Despite all these challenges and thanks to extraordinary efforts, our team managed to fully meet the client’s requirements,” says Závodný.

At the moment, heavy lifts have been carried out on the construction site and mechanical assembly continues. Commissioning will follow. The company then plans an official launch for the third quarter of 2023. “We are focused on continuing the work well done,” adds the project manager, adding that this is the largest investment in the Finnish woodworking industry to date. Its value reached 1.85 billion euros (45.4 billion crowns).

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As part of the contract, Doosan Škoda Power will also supply a generator and condenser along with other steam turbine accessories. This was specially designed for this order and guarantees steam intakes of different pressures, while the high-pressure and low-pressure parts of the steam turbine can be controlled independently.

Doosan Škoda Power, which is part of a strong group of companies united in the South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation Doosan Group, is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of equipment for power plants. It mainly deals with the production of steam turbines. Its clients include steam, nuclear and solar power plants, fossil fuel power plants, but also, for example, biomass incinerators and plants for the production of energy from waste materials.

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