Profitable energy efficiency investments in Romanian pulp and paper company

Romwelle PM SA is a producer of pulp, paper and paperboard, located at the border of Serbia and Bulgaria. Its excellent location means that it is well positioned to become a major player in the pulp and paper market in the region. However, to reach this goal the production process needed to be significantly improved.

Therefore, the company decided to invest in energy efficient modernisation of the production process and addressed RoSEFF for financing. The RoSEFF team performed analysis of the energy saving potential of the investment, its financial-technical parameters and profitability.

The final project comprised replacement of the old production equipment, including steam distribution network, pumps, compressors, refiners, water feeding system, modernisation of a steam boiler, purchase of two water softening plants, frequency converters and implementation of the energy management system.

The €3,030,547 investment allowed the company to decrease its energy consumption by 24% per year, leading to substantial cost savings. The investment will be repaid from energy savings in less than 1 year, leaving the cash flow as income for many years to follow.

In addition, all measures delivered an environmental impact by decreasing CO2 emissions by 62,903 tonnes per year – a substantial input in the mitigation of the negative effects of human activity on the climate.

With energy costs, which make up the largest share of the net production costs, significantly reduced the company can focus on other investments to enhance its leadership in the region.

This project demonstrates the huge energy efficiency potential of the pulp and paper industry. Being one of the most energy intensive production sectors, it offers great opportunities for highly profitable investments.