Eren Holding: Official go-ahead for new paper mill in Shotton
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Turkish industrial group Eren Holding has officially launched its £1 billion Shotton Mill paper plant in North Wales at a business reception attended by senior representatives of the UK and Welsh governments.
Eren Paper is currently redeveloping the 85.6 hectare site of the former UPM mill in Shotton into a production site for corrugated base paper (PM 3) and tissue (TM 1). The new mill will be the most modern of its kind in Europe and one of the largest in the UK, according to the company.
In 2021, Eren expanded its international presence with the acquisition of UPM's newsprint paper mill. This marked a significant step towards Eren's global growth target. PM 3 will be the largest single paper machine in the UK, with a capacity of up to 750,000 tons per year of corrugated base paper made from 100% recovered paper.
Planning permission has also been granted for a new tissue machine and a corrugator. The current investment phase is focused on the first tissue machine (TM 1), which will have a capacity of 67,000 tons per year of tissue paper.
In addition, the site will have a pulp and waste paper storage facility, an anaerobic wastewater treatment plant, a hydrogen-based combined heat and power (CHP) plant, warehouses and administrative offices. Existing structures, including the recycling and biomass plant, will be retained.
The opening of the new corrugated base paper PM, previously scheduled for 2025, will be a significant change for the UK corrugated and paper recycling industry. Currently, more than 50% of the waste paper collected in the UK is exported. Abroad, the waste paper is converted into corrugated base paper or corrugated sheets and then shipped back to the UK as testliner and fluting on a waste paper basis. Thanks to the new machine, the UK will become a net exporter of corrugated base paper, while exports of waste paper will fall by a quarter, Eren expects.
