Metsa, Finland 15 May 2014 -- Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, has launched an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedure related to a bioproduct mill planned in Äänekoski, Finland. Yesterday, 14 May 2014, the company provided the Central Finland ELY centre (Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment) with an EIA programme in accordance with the EIA Act.

The EIA procedure will address the environmental impact of the bioproduct mill planned for the existing mill area of Metsä Group in Äänekoski, and consistently taking the impact into account in planning and decision-making. The EIA procedure will not make any decisions concerning the project, but its goal is to provide information to support decision-making and to increase citizens' information supply and their opportunities to participate.

The EIA programme drawn up by Metsä Fibre will be available to the public for views and statements during 19 May–18 June 2014 at the ELY centre of Central Finland, at the town hall of Äänekoski, as well as at the town hall of Jyväskylä and Laukaa. You can also familiarise yourself with the evaluation programme at the Äänekoski library and on the internet at www.ymparisto.fi/aanekoskenbiotuotetehdasYVA. A public communication and discussion meeting will take place on 22 May 2014 from 6 pm to 8 pm EET at the council hall of the town of Äänekoski.

The bioproduct mill planned by Metsä Fibre will, if implemented, cost about EUR 1.1 billion, and it would be the forest industry's largest investment ever in Finland. The mill's pulp production capacity is 1.3 million tonnes per year. The goal is to build the mill in the existing pulp mill area and it would replace the mill currently operating in the area. The final investment decision on the mill construction will be made in early 2015, which means that the bioproduct mill could be operational in 2017.

www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is a responsible forest industry group whose products’ main raw material is renewable and sustainably grown northern wood. Metsä Group focuses on tissue and cooking papers, consumer packaging paperboards, pulp, wood products, and wood supply and forest services. Its high-quality products combine renewable raw materials, customer-orientation, sustainable development and innovation. Metsä Group’s sales totalled EUR 4.9 billion in 2013, and it employs approximately 11,000 people. The Group operates in some 30 countries. Metsäliitto Cooperative is the parent company of Metsä Group and is owned by approximately 123,000 Finnish forest owners.

www.metsafibre.com

Metsä Fibre is a world-leading producer of softwood pulp and its main brand is Botnia. Our products – sustainably and cost-efficiently produced softwood and birch pulp – are specially developed for the production of high-quality tissue and writing papers, specialty products, and board. With four pulp mills in Finland, we employ a total of about 900 people. Our sales in 2013 were approximately EUR 1.3 billion. Metsä Fibre is part of Metsä Group.