UPM is committed to undertaking several initiatives such as climate-positive forestry, innovating novel products, and investment in renewable and efficient energy solutions to power its own sites, while taking part in the transformation of energy systems in Europe.
November 4, 2022
UPM has inaugurated a new combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Germany. The new plant will take the German paper manufacturer closer to meeting its ambitious sustainability targets which include reducing its CO2 emissions by 65 percent by 2030.
The Company is pledged to complete the targets of the 2015 Paris Agreement ahead of its time, by implementing a number of interventions: climate-positive forestry, innovating novel products, and investment in renewable and efficient energy solutions to power its own sites, while taking part in the transformation of energy systems in Europe.
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UPM’s EUR 100 million investment at its Nordland Papier mill is also a major step in this direction. This will decrease the carbon emissions by 300,000 tonnes per annum (TPA) and provide captive power to the facility. At the same time, it will provide surplus power to the German electricity grid, contributing to Germany’s energy sustainability.
In the words of Mr. Winfried Schaur, Executive Vice President, Technology and UPM Biorefining, “In the current energy crisis, coupled with the increasing need for carbon reductions, it is vital that we invest and innovate to become more efficient. The power plant will increase the sustainability of our paper production while contributing flexible support to the German energy system.”
The unit in Dörpen, Lower Saxony, is the largest fine and speciality paper manufacturing site in Europe. The highly efficient 84MW gas-powered CHP plant has been developed in compatibility with hydrogen power, which is a futuristic innovation for Germany’s long-term green energy transition.
Thus, UPM Nordland Papier can now calibrate its supply and demand to support the production operation at the mill, while also stabilising grid volatility and providing additional capacity to the public electricity grid.
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Mr. Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony’s Minister for the Environment, Energy and Construction, says, “Significant investments by industry are crucial for the sustainable transformation of our economy. In the long term, the new CHP power plant at UPM Nordland Papier will contribute to increased climate protection and secure highly qualified industrial jobs in Lower Saxony.”
