SCA finalizes major fiberline upgrade at Östrand mill to boost NBSK pulp yield

SCA has successfully completed a major modernization of the fiberline at its Östrand pulp mill in Timrå, Sweden. The final installation and commissioning phases were executed during the facility's annual autumn maintenance shutdown, allowing the plant to resume full operations by mid-October 2026.

Technical overhaul in the digester area

The project, executed with technological involvement from Valmet, introduces critical modifications to the mill's cooking and washing processes. The engineering scope focused heavily on the digester area, overhauling the steaming and impregnation stages to ensure a more uniform chemical treatment of the wood chips. Additionally, the integration of a new hot-top solution and the installation of two pressure diffusers are specifically designed to optimize pulp washing efficiency.

For a facility of Östrand's scale—which produces approximately 900,000 tonnes of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp annually—these mechanical improvements address key process bottlenecks. Better washing directly correlates with lower chemical consumption downstream, while the optimized cooking conditions are expected to maximize overall wood yield.

Strategic implications for pulp production

In the current European pulp market, where raw material costs and fiber availability remain tight, maximizing the yield from every cubic meter of wood is a critical competitive advantage. By stabilizing the cooking plant and increasing equipment availability, SCA is securing a more consistent and sustained production profile.

This fiberline upgrade represents one of SCA's most significant capital investments in its pulp operations for 2026. The successful restart of the line not only reinforces the mill's operational stability but also ensures a reliable supply of premium NBSK pulp to the global packaging and tissue sectors moving forward.