One of Europe's largest newsprint mills, Norske Skog Skogn in Norway, will start producing publishing paper in the second quarter of 2026, marking the site's entry into the European book paper market.
The changeover will be partial, thanks to a technical conversion developed with the Andritz group: the PM1 machine, until now dedicated exclusively to newsprint, will be able to alternate between the two products. Norske Skog points out that the investment cost is low - 40 million Norwegian kroner, or around 3.5 million euros, for a production capacity of over 140,000 tonnes per year. The new product, called NOR Book, will be available in several standardized qualities in terms of hand, whiteness and shade.
Since 2024, the Skogn plant has been operating exclusively with virgin fiber. This development has paved the way for the manufacture of brighter, higher hand papers from thermomechanical pulp produced on site. Several production trials have already been carried out, validating the characteristics required for editorial applications, particularly in the school, legal and pocket segments.
The site is designed to meet the main needs of the European publishing paper market, estimated at around 400,000 tonnes a year. The NOR Book will be rolled out gradually, leading to a parallel reduction in newsprint volumes shipped to Asia, with no effect on deliveries to Europe.
