Valmet and Metsä Fibre have settled their arbitration dispute over the Kemi bioproduct mill in Finland, ending proceedings that began in October 2024. Settlement terms, including any payment, are confidential, and Valmet will record the financial impact as an item affecting comparability in its fourth-quarter 2026 results.
Why this mattersRemoves a multi-year contractual overhang between a leading pulp producer and its mill technology supplier ahead of Valmet's Q4 reporting.
- Metsä Fibre filed for arbitration in October 2024 over the Kemi bioproduct mill, initially claiming about EUR 47 million.
- Metsä Fibre later flagged potential additional claims of about EUR 65 million.
- The open claim against Valmet stood at about EUR 33.5 million at the end of the third quarter of 2026.
- Valmet disputed the claims and pursued counterclaims against Metsä Fibre.
- Settlement terms, including any payment, are confidential.
- Valmet will reflect the financial impact as an item affecting comparability in its Q4 2026 results.
Valmet will deliver a complete bleached chemi-thermo mechanical pulping (BCTMP) line, including an evaporation plant, flash drying and baling, to ITC's Bhadrachalam paperboard mill in India. The order was booked in Valmet's second-quarter 2026 orders received, with the value undisclosed, and the line is scheduled to start up in the second quarter of 2028.
Why this mattersThe upgrade lets ITC produce higher-quality pulp more energy-efficiently, strengthening a leading Indian paperboard producer's cost and quality position.
- BCTMP line capacity is 350 bone-dry tonnes per day
- Order was included in Valmet's Q2 2026 orders received; value undisclosed
- New line scheduled to start up in Q2 2028
- Scope includes BCTMP evaporation plant, flash drying, baling, Valmet DNA control system and a new White Liquor Disc Filter
- Uses Valmet's HT-CTMP high-temperature technology for improved fibre quality and lower refining energy use
- ITC Bhadrachalam has used Valmet technology since a multilayer paperboard machine delivery in the 1990s
Valmet is supplying cooking, fiberline and recovery island technology for a new pulp mill being built by Century Sunshine in Rizhao, Shandong province, China. The order, booked in Valmet's second-quarter 2026 intake, is valued above EUR 100m (USD 112m), with the mill due to start up in June 2028. The project is the first phase of Century Sunshine's plan to add 2.65 million tonnes of annual paper capacity to substitute plastics with paper-based products.
Why this mattersThe project expands Chinese pulp self-sufficiency for packaging paper production, reducing import dependence and supporting a plastic-to-paper substitution drive.
- Valmet's order value exceeds EUR 100m (USD 112m), undisclosed exact amount.
- Order booked in Valmet's second-quarter 2026 order intake.
- Mill designed for 1.2 million tonnes of hardwood or softwood pulp plus 400,000 tonnes of softwood pulp annually.
- Start-up expected June 2028.
- Part of Century Sunshine's three-phase 'Paper-for-Plastic' programme targeting 2.65 million tonnes of added annual paper capacity.
- Scope includes cooking and fiberlines, evaporation plant, recovery boiler, ash treatment and white liquor plant, designed to be fossil-fuel free.
Valmet has won an order from Anhui Linping Circular Development for a complete board making line, PM 9, for its mill in Xiao County, China, targeting lightweight fluting and liner grades. The order value was not disclosed; it is booked in Valmet's third-quarter 2026 orders received, with start-up scheduled for 2028. Valmet previously supplied an earlier board machine, PM 8, to the same site.
Why this mattersAdds dedicated lightweight fluting and liner capacity in China, reflecting converters' continued shift toward lower-weight containerboard substrates.
- Anhui Linping Circular Development ordered a complete board making line, PM 9, from Valmet
- PM 9 is designed for lightweight fluting and liner grades
- Start-up of PM 9 is scheduled for 2028
- Valmet previously delivered board machine PM 8 to the same Xiao County, China site
- Order value was not disclosed
- Order is included in Valmet's Q3 2026 orders received
A USD 2.0bn (BRL 10.35bn) pulp and energy complex in Alto Araguaia, Mato Grosso, first granted a preliminary licence in 2019, has resurfaced with a new timetable published on LinkedIn by Leonardo Garcia Degrazia. The plan covers a 2 million tonne per year bleached eucalyptus pulp mill, a 372 MW biomass plant, a rail spur and a freight terminal, with investment approval set for June 2027 and construction from December 2027. No equipment contracts have been publicly confirmed.
Why this mattersA new 2 million tonne pulp mill would add meaningful capacity to the fibre supply chain that underpins paper-based packaging, once financing and permits clear.
- Project valued at USD 2.0bn (BRL 10.35bn) for a 2 million tonne per year bleached eucalyptus pulp mill in Alto Araguaia, Mato Grosso
- The mill alone is estimated at USD 1.84bn; the site's preliminary environmental licence dates from 2019
- Plan includes a 372 MW biomass power plant, a dedicated rail spur and a freight terminal
- Schedule foresees environmental and financing approvals by January 2027, investment approval in June 2027 and equipment quotations from August 2027
- Bidding documents are expected in October 2027, construction from December 2027 and completion in December 2028
- Valmet and Andritz Brasil are named as technology suppliers under evaluation, with no definitive contracts publicly confirmed; AFRY Brasil is engineering consultant
Jeonju Paper Corporation has selected Valmet to rebuild the press and predryer sections of paper machine PM 5 at its South Korean mill. The rebuild targets lower steam consumption and improved runnability, with start-up scheduled for autumn 2027. Order value was not disclosed and is included in Valmet's second-quarter 2026 orders received.
Why this mattersThe rebuild extends the life and lowers the energy cost base of an established paper machine rather than adding new capacity, reflecting a trend toward efficiency retrofits over greenfield investment.
- Jeonju Paper Corporation selected Valmet to rebuild the press and predryer sections of paper machine PM 5 in South Korea
- Start-up of the rebuilt machine is scheduled for autumn 2027
- The rebuild aims to lower steam consumption and reduce drying energy use
- Delivery includes a runnability system upgrade and a spare parts package
- Order value was not disclosed
- Order booked in Valmet's orders received for the second quarter of 2026
Valmet has secured an order to supply a complete coated board making line, automation and lifecycle services to an unnamed customer in Asia. The line will produce premium-quality coated board grades, with machine start-up set for 2028. Order value was not disclosed and is booked in Valmet's third-quarter 2026 orders received.
Why this mattersNew coated board capacity investment in Asia points to continued growth in premium grades even as demand elsewhere in the sector stays subdued.
- Order covers stock preparation and a complete board machine from headboxes to reel and winders
- Scope includes automation, digital services, paper machine clothing and spare parts packages
- Machine start-up is scheduled for 2028
- Order value not disclosed, booked in Valmet's Q3 2026 orders received
- Customer location given only as Asia, customer not named
Valmet will supply a recovery boiler retrofit, including a new secondary superheater, to Stora Enso's pulp and board mill in Varkaus, Finland. The companies have also signed a three-year cooperation agreement covering process monitoring and operator training. The new superheater is scheduled for installation in September 2027; order value was not disclosed.
Why this mattersSuperheater replacement in September 2027 protects output at a mill making 420,000 tonnes of containerboard and 335,000 tonnes of pulp a year.
- Order booked in Valmet's second-quarter 2026 order intake
- Scope includes replacing the recovery boiler's secondary superheater with a Valmet tube superheater
- Three-year cooperation agreement covers remote process monitoring and operator training
- Varkaus mill has annual capacity of 420,000 tonnes of containerboard and 335,000 tonnes of pulp
- New superheater delivery and installation set for September 2027
- Order value and cooperation agreement terms not disclosed
Metsä Group has ordered a 3D Fiber molded fibre production line from Valmet for its Äänekoski mill in Finland, the first commercial-scale deployment of the technology. The line, sited alongside the companies' existing demo plant, will have nominal capacity of more than 100 million products a year and is scheduled to start up in 2028. Valmet has not disclosed the order value; it is included in the company's third-quarter 2026 orders received.
Why this mattersA proven commercial-scale route from pulp to rigid molded-fibre trays and containers gives converters a credible, scalable plastic substitute for food packaging.
- Metsä Group ordered a 3D Fiber production line from Valmet for its Äänekoski mill, Finland
- This is the world's first commercial-scale implementation of Valmet's 3D Fiber technology
- Nominal capacity of the new line exceeds 100 million products per year
- Start-up of the line is scheduled for 2028
- The line will be built alongside the existing Valmet-Metsä demo plant, which started up in 2022
- The order is included in Valmet's orders received for the third quarter of 2026; order value undisclosed
Valmet will supply modernisation services for the recovery boiler and evaporation plant at Södra's Mönsterås pulp mill in Sweden, aimed at improving reliability and safety and cutting unplanned downtime. The order value is undisclosed and is booked in Valmet's third-quarter 2026 orders received, with work scheduled during the mill's annual shutdown in November 2026.
Why this mattersUndisclosed modernisation order shows continued aftermarket demand for pulp mill recovery boiler services as mills prioritise reliability over capacity growth.
- Order covers recovery boiler and evaporation plant modernisation at Södra Mönsterås mill in Sweden
- Södra Mönsterås has annual pulp production capacity of 750,000 tonnes
- Order value not disclosed, booked in Valmet's Q3 2026 orders received
- Modernisation work scheduled during the mill's annual shutdown in November 2026
- Recovery boiler scope includes pressure part replacement, new safety system upgrades and Smelt-X equipment
- Evaporation plant scope includes replacement of a tank head and flash tank
