Paper and pulp production requires a considerable amount of energy. M-real’s total energy consumption is some 25 TWh annually.
Our mills mainly use on-site produced steam and electricity. In 2008, wood-based fuels accounted for 76 per cent of total mill fuel consumption. We aim to further increase the share of biofuels in its energy production.
| Energy usage (TWh) |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
| Use of wood-based fuels |
14,098 |
12,886 |
14,327 |
| Use of fossil fuels |
3,274 |
3,254 |
2,880 |
| Puchased energy |
2,283 |
2,760 |
2,935 |
| Purchased heat |
0,328 |
0,470 |
0,361 |
The use of biofuels relates largely to chemical pulp production. Chemical pulp mills are mainly energy self-sufficient because the burning of residual pulping liquor (black liquor) produces energy. Paper production and mechanical pulping are more dependent on fossil fuels and purchased electricity. When they are integrated with chemical pulp production, however, they can use some of the surplus bioenergy from the pulp mill instead of using fossil fuels.
We continuously strive to develop and optimise energy efficiency. During 2009, a certified Energy Efficiency System (EES) was introduced at all mills as a part of their management systems. Our Energy Efficiency Optimisation (EEO) project, carried out during 2005-2007, reduced the yearly emissions of carbon dioxide by approximately 100,000 tonnes.