The Fibre Excellence Saint-Gaudens mill, located in the South of France, is launching its major maintenance shutdown on 7 June. With 6 million euros and 1,200 people mobilized, including the site’s employees, Fibre Excellence Saint-Gaudens is pursuing its investment strategy for industrial and environmental improvement.
During this shutdown, the teams will carry out several plant modernization operations, including work on the pulp press to improve heat recovery and thus reduce steam consumption. This shutdown will also allow the commissioning of the plant’s new wash press, dedicated to pulp washing: this new installation will make it possible, in line with its environmental policy, to reduce the use of chemical products. This shutdown will allow the finalization of the connection with the buried bioxide pipeline, which improves the safety of the site.
This will also be an opportunity to carry out repairs, early treatment of obsolescence and preventive replacement of parts and equipment. Three important pieces of equipment in the process of extracting cellulose from wood – the impregnator, the digester, and the oxygen reactor – will undergo ten-year inspections and requalification. Finally, inspection operations of recent work and maintenance of the black liquor boiler will be carried out.
This €6 million budget is contributing to the local economy: 150 partner companies with specialized skills, such as mechanics, electricity, instrumentation, boilermaking and civil engineering, are being mobilized. More than 90% of the committed budget will benefit French companies, including 3.8 million euros for companies based in Occitania and Aquitaine, including more than 1.6 million for companies in Haute-Garonne alone.
Valérie Lechiffre
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