Project description
ALIER is a Spanish, certified B Corporation company present in more than 60 countries across Europe, America, Africa and Asia. It specialises in the production of 100% recycled paper mainly for the manufacture of plaster board and plaster board liner, kraft bags and sacks. A different characteristic from other paper mills is the capacity to recycle paper that is difficult to treat, such as coated or laminated papers and used beverage cartons.
ALIER’s commitment to industrial decarbonisation has driven the development of this project, which aims to integrate renewable thermal energy into the recycled paper manufacturing process, reducing the carbon footprint of both the company and its products. For this purpose, ALIER reoriented its thermal energy supply strategy by replacing its cogeneration plant, previously reliant on natural gas, with a biomass boiler powered by 100% renewable, CO2-neutral forest biomass. Additionally, this boiler is supplemented with biogas derived from waste generated during paper production.
The new installation is among the three most significant in Spain. By decarbonising its production process and drastically reducing its dependence on fossil fuels, ALIER can accelerate its progress to achieve net-zero emissions in 2030.
The implemented solution
The new biomass plant was installed at ALIER’s factory in Rosselló (Catalonia) and inaugurated in October 2024. With a capacity of 36 MWt (50 tph), it meets 97% of the factory´s steam demand. As a result, it will prevent the emission of more than 91.000 tonnes of CO2 per year and reduce natural gas consumption by 98%, effectively lowering the direct carbon footprint (scope 1 emissions) by the same percentage.
The production plant is located in an area rich with agricultural biomass and nearby forest biomass, minimising logistical costs and CO2 emissions associated with transportation. A forest resource availability analysis of the surrounding area indicates that the project utilises 2,5% of the total harvestable biomass (67.000 tonnes per year).
The key hurdles solved
The project was delayed by six months due to hindrance in obtaining building permits, environmental licenses and an activity license.
Key Suppliers / Partners
The implementation and start-up of the biomass plant from forest biomass has been possible through the joint work between ALIER, a leader in recycled paper production for the construction sector, and ENGIE, a world leader in low-carbon energy solutions and services.
ENGIE was in charge of the design, installation, management, maintenance and financing of the project, materialized in a long-term contract, to supply energy from renewable sources to ALIER.
