Spanish pulp and bioenergy firm Ence has put €200m into its Navia bioplant in Asturias, aiming to cut annual CO2 emissions by 40,000 tonnes. The biggest part, €160m, goes to expanding production and adding a fluff pulp line for absorbent products. A separate €48m package targets the lime kilns, swapping fossil fuels for biomass and adding multi-fuel burners, with €13m backed by Spain's energy efficiency programme. The new wood processing line can handle 5,400 cubic metres per day, which increases bark supply for the biomass boiler. Ence says the biofuel is carbon neutral because the CO2 was absorbed while the organic matter was growing. The plant already produces 685,000 tonnes of eucalyptus pulp a year for European paper makers. The move follows Ence's October 2024 target to produce 1TWh of biomethane by 2030 using agricultural biomass and agri-food waste.
