SCA has held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $922 million project to expand its Östrand bleached kraft pulp mill in Sweden.

The production after the expansion will start in the second quarter of 2018. The expansion means that the production capacity increases from the current 430,000 tonnes to 900,000 tonnes of bleached kraft pulp, the company said.

It is one of the largest industrial investments in Sweden through the ages and the largest in northern Sweden ever. SCA Östrand will thereby have the largest production of bleached softwood kraft pulp in the world.

"With the expansion of the kraft pulp line, we will increase our share of market pulp substantially. It also means that we will continue to strengthen our already strong environmental profile for Celeste, and that we will offer world leading pulp properties and new logistics solutions, says Stefan Sjöström, VP Sales & Marketing.

The fiber line and the evaporation plant will be delivered by the Finnish company Valmet. Austrian Andritz will supply the drying machine and the wood room, and be responsible for the rebuilding of the causticizing and recovery boiler. Peab and Skanska are the suppliers for construction.