As part of its strategy to increase industrial operations and improve wood procurement in Russia, Stora Enso Timber has inaugurated its second sawmill in the country.
The €10.3m investment in the Novgorod region, which is scheduled to achieve full production capacity of 100,000m3 by the end of 2005, is Stora Enso Timber’s second greenfield sawmill in Russia.
The first started up in the Republic of Karelia in 2003 and experience gained there was fully utilised in the latest Nebolchi sawmill project.
Arno Pelkonen, senior executive vice-president, Stora Enso Forest Products, said the investments demonstrate Stora Enso’s long term interest in expanding operations in Russia. “Successful local production is crucial to our goal of developing wood procurement and the marketing of wood products in Russia,” he said.
Wood for Nebolchi sawmill comes from Novgorod, Leningrad, Vologda, Tver and other regions in Russia. The sawmill processes only spruce saw logs and the wood is procured by Stora Enso Wood Supply Russia which has a terminal at the site.
