Ence has opened three projects worth more than €200M at its Navia pulp mill in Asturias, Spain. New multi-fuel lime-kiln burners replace fossil fuels with biomass, which Ence expects to cut CO₂ by more than 40,000 t/yr. A new wood line with two debarkers and a chipper (5,400 m³/day) will supply more bark to the biomass boiler. The kiln and wood line cost €48M, including €13M from Spain's IDAE. A fluff pulp line costing more than €160M makes Navia the only European mill producing eucalyptus fluff pulp (Bioenergy Insight)
Georgia-Pacific has finished a $110M log-line modernization at its Monticello, Miss. containerboard mill, adding new scales, a debarker, a chipper and two 35-ton radial cranes. The cranes unload a log truck in one lift, cutting unloading time in half, and log trucks now use a new entrance northeast of the mill (Daily Leader)
Update: Local managers, Unifor Local 233 workers and First Nations have formed a coalition to buy RYAM's idled Témiscaming, Que. mill and restart it. There is no formal offer or financing yet. RYAM's new CEO, Daniel Krawczyk, says the company has met interested parties and will finish its strategic review this quarter (Wood Central, CTV News)
Forestry & Timber
Finland's environmental regulator has ordered Google's subsidiary Tuike Finland to stop felling and earthworks at its Muhos and Otanmäki (Kajaani) data-centre sites until environmental impact assessments are done. About 330 ha have been felled and prepared at Muhos and nearly 200 ha at Otanmäki, on roughly 1,400 ha bought from Metsähallitus for more than €27M. Google says it fell short of its own standards and plans to replant 130 ha (Wood Central)
Update: Germany's cabinet has adopted a rule that eases EUDR paperwork for forest owners. Small owners can give an address instead of plot coordinates, and recognised forestry associations can file one simplified declaration for wood they sell for members. States would check at least 1% of primary producers each year. The Bundestag has sent the enforcement bill with its prison penalties to its agriculture committee (Wood Central)
Wood Pellets
Canada's wood pellet exports rose 32% in August, and the average export price rose 21% (Lesprom)
Industry Technology Vendors
Valmet — Will supply a complete board line (PM 9), from headbox to winder, with automation, clothing and digital services, to Anhui Linping Circular Development in Xiao County, China. It will make lightweight fluting and liner, start up in 2028 and follow PM 8, which started up in March. The value was not disclosed, and the order is booked in Q3 2026 orders (Valmet)
John Crane — Its Smartflow IG sealing-water control, used on pumps at UPM Nordland Papier's Dörpen, Germany mill, can save up to 180 L/hr of fresh water per pump. UPM says the first installations cut sealing-water use to almost zero (PULPAPERnews)
