The project to transform the Grand-Couronne paper manufacturing site, about a hundred kilometers west of Paris, formerly Chapelle-Darblay, has reached a new stage in its implementation with the takeover of its operational management by Fiber Excellence (FE). Veolia, a major partner in the project, is committed to ensuring the supply of recycled paper and cardboard for the paper mill, in a dynamic local and circular economy.
Since acquiring the site from the Rouen Normandy Metropolis in May 2022, Veolia has been keen to take over to make possible the project to strategically reposition the newsprint factory into a corrugated case material (CCM) production site.
FE, the only French producer specializing in market pulp with a capacity of 560,000 t/year, is taking over leadership of the project in order to consolidate the modernization of the paper mill. For its part, Veolia is committed to ensuring supplies of recycled paper and cardboard for an initial period of ten years.
From December 20, Veolia is also making the Chapelle-Darblay site available to FE through a lease which will last until the end of 2024, in order to allow the paper manufacturer to develop a financing plan and finalize administrative procedure required.
“This is an important step for the success of the project – supplies are a strategic issue for the conversion of the factory and their security provides essential guarantees to obtain the necessary financing,” said Jean-François Guillot, president of FE (photo). I would like to thank Veolia, but also all the actors involved and committed to this project: the Rouen-Normandie Metropolis and its President Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, who has actively supported the project since the first days, the State services and notably the Ministry of Industry, as well as the representatives of former employees Cyril, Arnaud, Julien, and the national leaders of the CGT. We are now turning to the next phase of the project: seeking funding. In the current context, this represents a real challenge, but we have confidence both in the continued commitment of all stakeholders, essential for the project to succeed, and in the economic solidity of our plan for the site of Grand-Couronne. »
“Veolia maintains its commitment to the Chapelle-Darblay relaunch project by making the paper site available to FE for one year and by guaranteeing a supply of paper and cardboard for the next ten years,” said Jean-François Nogrette, Managing Director of Veolia France. Thanks to this agreement resulting from a strategic and solid partnership, FE can consolidate the project in its operational part with the resumption of activity and the securing of supplies to the industrial site, thus creating an environment conducive to the search for financing. This agreement represents a significant step in the future of this Normandy industrial site and illustrates the long-term commitment of Veolia, world leader in ecological transformation, in terms of sustainability and the circular economy. »
As a reminder, the key data of this project
- An industrial reconversion towards corrugated case material (CCM), for which the needs and the market are structurally growing
- €280 million of investment, including €30 million of FE equity and €30 million of public support via various schemes
- Approximately three years required to finalize the project and implement the reconversion of the site before the start of production
- 450,000 t/year of recycled paper and cardboard used over time, including at least 225,000 tonnes provided by Veolia during the first ten years
- 400,000 t of CCM produced each year ultimately
- Production of green energy from biomass
- €200 million ultimately injected each year into the local economy
V.L
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