HELSINKI, Finland, Sept. 27, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Metso Paper has signed the final contract for pulping system in Zellstoff Stendal GmbH greenfield kraft pulp mill in SachsenAnhalt, Germany with the main contractor, RWE IndustrieLosungen GmbH. The parties announced the contract in October 2001. Delivery includes a complete pulping process from woodhandling to ready made bales and a process automation system for the entire mill supplied by Metso Automation. The value of the contract is approx. EUR 135 million. The startup of the mill is scheduled for October 2004.
The mill is designed for an annual capacity of 550,000 tonnes of bleached softwood market pulp. The chosen technology is specially designed for production of high quality end product with minimum environmental impact.
The main stakeholder of the new greenfield project is Mercer International Inc., the other owners being RWE and Fahr Beteiligungen AG. Zellstoff Stendal GmbH is located approx. 100 km west of Berlin.
Metso Corporation (NYSE:MX) is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems, as well as knowhow and aftermarket services. The corporation's core businesses are fiber and paper technology (Metso Paper), rock and mineral processing (Metso Minerals) and automation and control technology (Metso Automation). In 2001, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.3 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 30,000. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.