While the three other companies – Aylesford Newsprint, Bridgewater Paper Company and Shotton Paper Company – are all looking to increase manufacturing capacity in the UK, Stora Enso is already building a plant at Langerbrugge in Belgium. Stora's approach to WRAP – the Waste, Resources and Action Programme – is to see what role the organisation can play in relation to Langerbrugge. This would mean WRAP may have to adapt its competition rules which currently suggest that its financial support would go towards manufacturing capacity in the UK.
Kari Knuts, senior vice president of Stora's newsprint division, today said: “WRAP's goals can at least partly be met through the Langerbrugge project. I believe that the basic problem in the UK is that paper is being landfilled and Langerbrugge provides a relief to this problem.”
Voluntary targets
Mr Knuts added that his company is already supplying large amounts of newsprint into the UK and that using recycled newsprint from Langerbrugge would help the UK newspaper publishers to meet their voluntary targets for recycled content.
The Langerbrugge mill would compete primarily with Aylesford Newsprint's plant in Kent for material because of its location. Should Aylesford win support for the WRAP project Mr Knuts agreed that there would be strong competition for material, but said: “We always welcome competition.”
Stora is spending 500 million Euros at Langerbrugge including an already announced new newsprint production line, a new biofuel power plant and the rebuilding of its paper machine number 3 (PM3). The new newsprint line is expected to begin production in the first half of 2003. PM3, which currently produces 130,000 tonnes per annum of newsprint will be rebuilt as a super calendered machine with capacity increased to 165,000 tonnes per annum, and start production at the end of 2002.
Aylesford
Aylesford is the only one of the four contenders thought to have drawn up plans for a new paper machine in the UK although its investors – SCA and Mondi – have still not made a final decision on whether to go ahead with the project.
Donald Charlesworth, Aylesford company secretary, said: “We are pleased to have been selected for the WRAP tendering process. Aylesford is well placed to supply London, the provinces and mainland Europe with an increased quantity of 100% recycled newsprint. The availability of support through WRAP would clearly be an important factor in our shareholders decision on whether to proceed with an investment in additional capacity.”
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