Felix Schoeller plans 30MW waste wood biomass plant at Osnabrück mill

German speciality paper maker Felix Schoeller is planning a biomass power plant at its Osnabrück-Lüstringen site to supply steam and electricity for paper production, burning waste wood sourced within 100 kilometres. The roughly 30 MW plant would occupy about 10,000 square metres and forms part of the family-owned company's goal of climate-neutral paper production by 2045. The city of Osnabrück has started the formal planning procedure, with a permit decision expected to take up to two years.

Why this mattersA biomass switch at an energy-intensive speciality paper mill signals how papermakers are weaning off natural gas ahead of tightening EU decarbonisation pressure on the sector.

• Planned biomass plant capacity is around 30 MW, fuelled by waste wood.
• Plant would occupy roughly 10,000 square metres on the western part of the Osnabrück-Lüstringen site.
• Waste wood would be sourced from within a 100-kilometre radius.
• The Osnabrück site is already energy self-sufficient via a gas turbine but still relies on natural gas.
• The city's formal planning procedure, under development plan number 683, began in April 2025.
• Permitting under Germany's Federal Immission Control Act could take up to two years.

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