Saica seeks Aragon biomass supply for EUR 101.5m El Burgo de Ebro decarbonisation

Saica Group is asking the Aragon regional government to help develop a local forestry and agricultural biomass supply chain to fuel a new biomass boiler at its El Burgo de Ebro paper mill. The EUR 101.5m decarbonisation project, backed by EUR 32.7m of EU Perte funding, aims to cut the mill's scope 1 fossil CO2 emissions by 53% by replacing gas with renewable fuel. Currently only about 35% of Saica's biomass supply contracts originate in Aragon, with the rest sourced from other Spanish regions.

Why this mattersLocal biomass availability will determine the cost and pace of decarbonisation at one of Spain's largest paper mills, a template for Saica's wider fuel-switching strategy.

• Saica is investing EUR 101.5m in a decarbonisation project at its El Burgo de Ebro paper mill, backed by EUR 32.7m of EU Perte funding
• The project targets a 53% cut in scope 1 fossil CO2 emissions by replacing gas with renewable fuel sources
• The new biomass plant will generate over 700,000 tonnes of steam a year and a fuel-preparation unit will process about 160,000 tonnes of biomass annually
• Only about 35% of Saica's signed biomass supply contracts currently come from Aragon, with the rest from regions including Cantabria and Valencia
• Saica has already installed biomass boilers at three French mills, with the Nogent-sur-Seine unit covering 90% of steam needs and cutting natural gas use by 89%
• Saica has invested more than EUR 300m in biomass boilers group-wide

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