Ilim Group to bring Ust-Ilimsk pulp-and-cardboard mill up to design capacity in 2025 - authorities

IRKUTSK. Oct 10 (Interfax) - Ilim Group , one of Russia's largest forestry companies, has invested 100 billion rubles in the construction of a new pulp-and-cardboard mill in Ust-Ilimsk and plans to bring it up to design capacity in 2025, the Irkutsk regional government's press service said.

The implementation of the priority investment project to build the mill began in 2018 and permission to put it into operation was received in February 2024, the press service said. It has created 850 new jobs.

The mill has design capacity to produce 600,000 tonnes of bleached packaging cardboard per year and will increase Ilim Group's production to 4.3 million tonnes. Once the mill reaches full capacity next year, overall output of pulp-and-paper products in Ust-Ilimsk will reach about 1.5 million tonnes per year.

President Vladimir Putin earlier reviewed the progress of investment projects in five Russian regions during a video conference call, including Ilim Group's project in Irkutsk Region, the press release said. Ilim Group director Alexei Lomko and Irkutsk Governor Igor Kobzev briefed the president on the operations of the new mill.

Ilim Group said earlier that it invested 93 billion rubles in the project in Ust-Ilimsk.

Ilim Group exports 70% of its products, with about half of its products going to China, where it is the largest supplier of bleached corrugated material.