Solid foundation for a large-scale project

03/02/2022

Illustration: Lézards Création

At Norske Skog Golbey the PM1 conversion project is progressing according to plan and some important steps have been taken during the past weeks. Kick-off meetings with the suppliers were held, the financing process was finalized, and key permits obtained.

The Norske Skog Golbey PM1 conversion project is progressing according to plan and some important steps have been taken during the past weeks.

The execution phase has officially started with the kick-off meetings organized between September and November with the main suppliers. After the official go of the Board last June, the project team has finalized contracts with all main suppliers:

• VOITH, in charge of the rebuild of the paper machine and the supply of the OCC production line
• VALMET, in charge of building the new winder
• MSB, in charge of the system of conveyors from the winder to the new storage building
• DEMAG in charge of the automatic cranes handling the reels in the new storage building
• ECONVERT in charge of the capacity extension of the biogas production line in the effluent treatment plant

"With the kick-off meetings, the project is entering a new phase. These meetings are an important step because they build relationships between Norske Skog Golbey and the supplier teams and confirm that all the parties are aligned. It is a key success factor for the execution phase”, said Frederic Berlhe, Project manager.

At the same time, a long administrative process which started in July 2020 was completed. Given the size of the investment, Norske Skog Golbey had to prepare a large impact study and to organise a preliminary consultation, as required by French regulations. All stakeholders were thus given the opportunity to express their views on the project, ensuring that all technical, social, and environmental aspects of the project were taken into account and optimized.

Finally, in summer 2021, a public enquiry was organized. No significant comments were received, successfully ending this part of the French permitting process.

In November and December 2021, we officially received the Environmental and the Building permits signed by the competent authorities.

“I would like to highlight the amount of work done by the team and the great performance achieved. Despite the sanitary crisis, thanks to close collaboration with the local authorities, we managed to get through this process in a limited time! Having the key permits considering that our project has been approved almost unanimously by our stakeholders is a great achievement!” said Yves Bailly, Norske Skog Golbey Managing Director.

Finally, last but not least, financing of the project has been secured in last October by the Norske Skog Group (Read more). 

A large-scale strategy:
The Norske Skog Golbey vision does not only focus on the rebuilt of the machine #1. It is composed by different projects part of a more global approach to remain a sustainable company for the coming years:

• The construction of a new biomass boiler and the upgrade of the boiler #2, which will meet the steam needs for the paperboard production
• The conversion of all the production (including newsprint) to 100% recycled fibre
• The increase of capacity of the biogas production line

Next steps: We will turn the first sod and prepare the site for future work in H1 2022. Stay tuned to our next newsletter for more!