Here we go! Yesterday, Thursday May 22nd, the Vosges-based Norske Skog Golbey plant produced its first parent reel of corrugated base paper (PPO). This production marks the culmination of a vast conversion project begun in 2021 and repeatedly delayed. With an investment of 330 million euros, this is the largest industrial program ever undertaken by the Norwegian paper group.
Norske Skog Golbey, Norske Skog's largest PPO paper mill
Previously dedicated to newsprint, the PM1 machine will now produce 550,000 tonnes a year of PPO including light testliner and fluting. Deliveries of corrugated base paper will start in the second quarter of 2025.
This capacity will increase Norske Skog's annual production of packaging paper at all five sites to 760,000 tonnes.
At the same time, the second production line, PM2, retained its original vocation, with a capacity of 330,000 tonnes of newsprint per year. As a result, Norske Skog Golbey has become one of Europe's largest paper mills, combining the production of recycled packaging and newsprint.
PPO production based on local recycling
All the raw materials used will come from used paper and cardboard, collected mainly in the Grand Est region of France. The mill plans to recycle over a million tonnes of waste paper a year.
This logic of circular economy is reinforced by the site's energy integration: Golbey is supplied with electricity and steam by a biomass boiler operated by Green Valley Énergie, in which Norske Skog is a shareholder. According to the Norwegian company, this installation will make a significant contribution to reducing the site's carbon footprint, while guaranteeing competitive energy costs.
A new strategic pillar for Norske Skog
Norske Skog CEO Geir Drangsholt Drangland welcomes this turning point. "The production of the first MeÌeurosre aÌeuros Golbey reel represents a major milestone for Norske Skog and for everyone working at the Golbey site. (...) The corrugated base paper business will become an important and solid pillar of Norske Skog's operations in the future. At the same time, Norske Skog will remain a reliable supplier of high-quality publication papers.
Yves Bailly, President of Norske Skog Golbey, emphasizes the coherence between this industrial reorientation and market trends. The rise of e-commerce and the growing demand for sustainable packaging reinforce the relevance of this repositioning.
