It was believed sold, soon converted to hydrogen production, but now a final twist could allow the Chapelle-Darblay paper mill in Grand-Couronnes (Seine-Maritime) to maintain its know-how in recycling paper. The metropolis of Rouen decided, Friday, October 15, to preempt the 33 hectare site to counter the sale announced by its Finnish owner UPM.
To understand, you have to rewind. The fate of this plant has been uncertain since it went on sale in September 2019 by UPM. Which, although it is still profitable, decided to close it in June 2020, citing its lack of competitiveness and the structural decline of newsprint. Neither the machines nor the biomass boiler were dismantled.
The 228 employees were made redundant. But three of them, trade unionists and staff representatives, remained in their posts, being active, with the support of the CGT and the collective Never again! (Attac, Greenpeace,…) to find a recovery solution that would maintain the site’s activity around recycling and the circular economy. This factory is the last in France to produce 100% recycled paper. Since the machines stopped, “480,000 tonnes of paper were sent abroad, incinerated or buried”, Greenpeace said in June.
Thursday evening October 14, on the eve of a decisive supervisory board, a new offer arrives, this time brought by Veolia, world number one in water and waste
However, hope seemed slim to arrive at a solution of this type since in July UPM announced, during an extraordinary social and economic committee (CSE), its decision to sell the plant to a production project. “Renewable hydrogen”, operational within three to five years, supported by the Caen company Samfi-Invest / H2V Product, coupled with the company Paprec, leader in waste treatment and recycling in France, for a sorting activity. Up to 450 million euros in investments.
But here it is that Thursday evening October 14, on the eve of a decisive supervisory board, a new offer arrives, this time brought by Veolia, the world number one in water and waste, associated with Fiber Excellence, the leading French producer. of commercial pulp. It plans to produce 400,000 tonnes of packaging cardboard from recycled paper and cardboard collected in France; the energy required for the installation would be produced by a biomass cogeneration boiler fed by organic waste from surrounding regions. For an investment of 120 million euros. “We are allowing the relocation of an industry that was going to leave France”, insists Antoine Frérot, Chairman and CEO of Veolia in a press release.
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