Turkish mill group Eren has revealed its plans for producing almost 1 million tonnes of containerboard and tissue at its Shotton mill.
After purchasing the newsprint mill from UPM last year, Eren is aiming to produce 750,000 tonnes of containerboard per year and 210,000 tonnes of tissue.
In its consultation website, Eren said: “The containerboard facility will use 100% recycled paper and card to manufacture brown paper. The paper is then passed through a corrugation machine to ‘crinkle up’ the paper and strengthen it to make cardboard. The cardboard sheets are then cut to specific designs for end use by the customer. The paper machine will be amongst the largest such machines in Europe, producing 10.1m wide jumbo reels prior to converting.
“The tissue facility will use a combination of recycled and virgin pulp to produce tissue products for the UK market. The tissue will supply jumbo rolls for further converting at other facilities in the UK as well as manufacturing the final product on site.”
Eren has submitted two planning applications to Flintshire County Council regarding the construction of the new mills. It has also lodged a planning application with the Welsh Government for a 60MWe combined heat and power plant.
While newsprint production at the site has ceased, the materials recycling facility built by UPM is still operating. This and the existing renewable energy infrastructure will be retained for the new mill.
Around 190 members of staff are expected to be retained ahead of the opening of the new mill expected in 2024.
