NORWAY (News release) -- ENOVA and the NOX-Fund have allocated a total of NOK 66 million ($6.6 million) for energy efficiency measures at Norske Skog Saugbrugs. Saugbrugs invests a total of NOK 165 million ($16.5 million) in energy-efficient measures at the plant. The measures will take the company another step towards an even lower energy consumption.

"We want to create a groundbreaking low energy consumption in our fiber production. Saugbrugs will be the benchmark for the industry, and with these energy measures, we also want to create good overall profitability at the mill," says Kjell-Arve Kure, Managing Director of Norske Skog Saugbrugs.

Saugbrugs has received support for two different energy-reducing projects, both of which will significantly reduce energy consumption:

• The NEXT project aims to reduce the electrical energy consumption in wood pulp production by around 90 GWh / year, which reduces the efficiency of normal operation by approximately 11 MW. Enova has allocated up to NOK 37 million ($3.7 million) for the NEXT project.

• Therminator has a goal of reducing thermal energy consumption. This will result in an annual saving of 127 GWh. The NOX Fund has pledged support of up to NOK 29 million ($2.9 million).

Norske Skog Saugbrugs has 445 employees and a production capacity of 455,000 tonnes of magazine paper with main markets in Europe and North-America. Saugbrugs produces 2.7 million nm3 of biogas annually.