Arctic Paper, one of Europe's leading companies in the manufacture and sales of fine paper, has announced a new green energy project for its Kostrzyn mill in Poland, which will maximize production of electrical energy.

From 1 July 2009 the company's entire heat and electricity requirements will be met by the company's own natural gas plant. Any excess electricity that is produced will be sold externally.

This latest initiative follows the mill's switch of its energy source from coal to natural gas in 2006/7, a move which made production at the mill cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

For Arctic Paper, which has invested a total of SEK350m in the plant, the environmental benefits provided by natural gas are essential. The use of natural gas halves emissions of carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions are also reduced by 40% compared with coal-fired plants. In principle, emissions from natural gas do not contain heavy metals, hydrocarbons or dust.

"We are extremely pleased with the new energy solution for the mill. We have a 20-year contract with the state-owned PGNiG, which gives us a much more stable price for the future," says Bjarne Bjork, COO at Arctic Paper.