The advanced biomass boiler, which will be installed at the firm’s paper mill in Yumbo, Colombia, will run on organic waste from the papermaking process
Smurfit Kappa to invest $100m in biomass boiler at its paper mill facility in Colombia. (Credit: Smurfit Kappa)
Paper and packaging firm Smurfit Kappa has announced plans to invest $100m in a sustainable biomass boiler at its paper mill facility in Yumbo, Colombia.
The biomass boiler is intended to reduce Smurfit Kappa’s global Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by approximately 6%.
The company has already installed biomass boilers at other paper mill sites, including Piteå in Sweden, and Sangüesa and Nervion in Spain across Europe.
According to Smurfit Kappa, the boiler will run on organic waste from the papermaking process instead of fossil fuels to produce cleaner electricity.
The company’s own forestry plantations’ pine and eucalyptus bark, garbage from its wood treatment facility, and ashes and sludge produced during the paper-making process would all be included in the organic waste.
Smurfit Kappa America CEO Laurent Sellier said: “This investment reinforces our commitment to Colombia, a strategic growth market, and to our sustainability targets.
“The commissioning of this state-of-the-art biomass boiler is a further material step towards our 2030 and net-zero emissions targets and to protecting the environment and creating a greener world.”
Expected to be operational by the end of 2024, the boiler will reduce the Colombian mill’s fossil fuel usage and deliver significant cost savings.
Smurfit Kappa Colombia CEO Alvaro Henao said: “The construction of this boiler reflects the circularity that is the foundation of our sustainability strategy and runs through all of our operations, as we are finding another use for our own waste.
“It is also a very important project for the region, as it will contribute to expanding the use of renewable energies and is a timely response to the increased global demand for paper.”