Councillors have approved plans for adaptions to Shotton Mill in North Wales to allow installation of a new tissue machine.
Flintshire County Council granted consent for the application filed by Turkish paper giant Eren this summer.
Planning documents said the new equipment formed part of the company’s plan to move production at its Deeside facility away from the “declining” newsprint market.
Instead Eren will produce containerboard and tissue in a bid to reduce imports of these materials into the UK.
The move will also increase domestic use of recycled paper, cutting the need for this waste material to be exported, the company said.
Eren proposed a 3.4m upward extension of an existing building within Shotton Mill to create space for the tissue machine and associated structures.
Documents submitted to Flintshire County Council added that the project would be Wales’ largest inward investment and the machine would be worth £600m to the local area once up and running.
Dan Johnson, general manager at Shotton Mill, said: “We’re excited to contribute to Deeside’s industrial legacy and to create sustainable jobs for the community. This investment marks a new era for our site, one of innovation, sustainability and job creation.”
