Kuusakoski announces new Finland plant

Finland-based Kuusakoski says it plans to invest 25 million euros ($27 million) to build a ferrous and stainless steel scrap processing plant it says will operate “100 percent-carbon-free.” The plant will be located in Veitsiluoto, Finland, an industrial site in the Northern Gulf of Bothnia region.

“In Veitsiluoto we are close to our largest end customers and can offer superior, smart delivery models and competitive delivery times,” Kuusakoski President and CEO Mikko Kuusilehto says. “We are seeing the steel industry beginning to move towards carbon-free production. Our new plant will bring with it carbon-free processing, which will enable our customers to further reduce their climate impact throughout the value chain.”

The recycling firm mentions stainless steel producer Outokumpu, which has a mill about 30 miles away in Tornio, Finland, as one metals producer emphasizing sustainability. Kuusakoski says that company “will have the opportunity to use even more precise carbon footprint calculations and cleaner recycled steel in their production, which can further reduce the carbon footprint of steel products.”

Regarding its planned facility, Kuusakoski says it will be a market-first steel recycling plant that will operate 100 percent carbon-free and use the latest technology. The investment responds to growing demand for recycled metals in Finland and Sweden, and it will increase the annual recycling capacity of Kuusakoski by 150,000 metric tons, or 25 percent.

The new plant will have a port facility the company says “effectively links sea freight to rail and road transport.”

“Outokumpu is committed to ambitious climate goals and we already use mainly recycled steel in our production,” says Juha Erkkilä, vice president with Outokumpu. “Kuusakoski’s new steel recycling plant is being built in a logistically ideal location from the perspective of our Tornio [stainless] steel mill. In addition to carbon-free operations and their proximity, the quality of materials and the traceability of the entire supply chain are key to us as a responsible operator.”

Kuusakoski says the new plant will produce significantly higher levels of purity in its recycled raw materials and have improved separation capabilities. It says “unique pretreatment technology, for example, has been developed together with leading experts, and there is no similar setup being used anywhere else.”