“Intelligent energy”: E.On electrifies DS Smith’s flagship paper mill with emission reducing CHP plant

04 May 2023 --- DS Smith kickstarts a new “state-of-the-art” combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the UK’s largest mill for recycled papers. The CHP plant – financed, built and operated by energy provider E.On – has been designed to reduce CO2 emissions by 36,000 metric tons per year. 

With the new CHP plant, E.On has equipped DS Smith with an electrical capacity of 73 megawatts, generating steam and power to boost the Kemsley Paper Mill’s manufacturing capacity to over 830,000 metric tons of recycled paper yearly.

E.On’s IQ Energy system has been deployed at the CHP plant. The system is an intelligent energy supply solution developed explicitly for energy-intensive industries. It features an automated, self-controlled power plant based on patented hardware and a digital control concept that uses artificial intelligence to optimize the supply in real time. 

Data from the operation of the power plant and production facilities, the grid and commodity markets help make the energy supply efficient and flexible. “We’re excited about the sustainability and operational benefits this state-of-the-art plant brings to our flagship mill in Kemsley,” says Niels Flierman, head of paper and recycling at DS Smith.

“Leading the way in reducing the impact paper making has on our environment is something we are passionate about – it’s important to us, our customers and the communities in which we operate. This is one of several projects we have across Europe and North America that will help us to reduce GHG emissions by 46% on an absolute basis by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, and to reach net zero emissions by 2050.”

DS Smith and E.On ribbon-cutting ceremony at the paper mill marks their long-term partnership.Manfred Wirsing, managing director at E.On Energy Projects adds: “This successful project is another example of how we drive decarbonization for our industrial customers and their production processes across Europe. The new energy solution we have implemented on site will make DS Smith more independent and flexible and, with a high degree of automation, optimally positioned for the future.”

Moving toward sustainability
Last month, DS Smith invested €145 million (US$160 million) into its paper mill in Viana, Portugal. The investment package includes rebuilding the existing paper machine and a new recovery boiler, one of the most modern in Europe, the fiber-based packaging provider said.

The boiler is said to improve environmental performance by enhancing steam efficiency at the mill by 25%, with steam from the boiler being recycled back into the mill. The new boiler, provided by Valmet, is expected to start operating in early 2025.

Additionally, DS Smith conducted an online survey last December and found growing consumer frustrations around excessive packaging. Specifically, online shoppers are increasingly discontent with packages arriving oversized and being too flimsy, covered with excessive tape or not being waterproof or recyclable. 

Those were among the main findings of the national survey, which tracked the frustrations amid a jump in e-commerce over the past two years. A striking majority of consumers (81%) stated that the environmental sustainability of packaging matters to them, so much so that about 40% would pay more for it. A third said they would pay up to 24% more, and nearly another third would pay at least 25% or more for increased environmental sustainability in packaging.

Edited by Radhika Sikaria