Visy Pulp and Paper Mill Tumut

Grid-connected, renewable cogeneration
Location: Tumut, NSW

Visy Tumut Mill

Visy's Tumut Mill is a greenfield project that uses a mixture of plantation pine and waste paper to produce unbleached kraft pulp and brown paper. The mill cost approximately $400 million and will produce approximately 300,000 tonnes of pulp and paper per year. The mill will process 800,000 tonnes per year of local plantation timber sawmill residues and pulp wood materials from softwood plantations supplemented by 80,000 tonnes of domestic and commercial waste paper. Bark, wood waste and black liquor (liquid residue from pulping process) is used in specially designed boilers to produce the steam requirements of the mill.

This is generated at high pressure and passed through a steam turbine to produce renewable power for most of the requirements of the mill.

Boilers (recovery and power)

The recovery boiler is supplied with 670 tonnes per day of black liquor which is recovered from the process. It produces 70 tonnes per hour of steam at 64 bar and 460°C. The fluidised bed power boiler is supplied with 240,000 tonne per annum of bark and wood waste and produces 70 tonnes per hour of steam at 64 bar and 460°C.

Power generation and sales

Steam from the boilers is fed to a steam turbine to produce 20 MW of power. As the energy is from renewable resources it qualifies for Renewable Energy Certifi cates (RECs) under the Government's Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET). The power is generated at 11 kV and is mostly used in the mill. The Tumut Mill takes power supply from the Transgrid Transmission network.

Gas reticulation

Gas is used in the lime kilns and makes up 2 per cent of the energy requirements of the site. It is sourced from the Wagga spur.

Site

The site occupies 1100 hectares.

Environmental impact

As most energy for the manufacturing process is from renewable resources the Tumut Mill is substantially greenhouse neutral. In addition, the establishment of the mill has added 30,000 hectare of pine plantation to provide a carbon sink.