Fire at Renewcell 1 to limit production for two weeks
Renewcell has confirmed that nobody was injured, and production is only expected to be “limited” for a period of two weeks, after a fire broke out in the shredding area of its Renewcell 1 plant in Sundsvall, Sweden, on March 22.
The company, which manufactures a dissolving cellulose pulp called Circulose from cotton-rich textile waste such as jeanswear, was quick to announce news of the then developing situation that afternoon, to confirm the safe evacuation of all employees following the arrival of emergency services. It said the fire, which did not spread to the rest of the facility, was first spotted just before 2 pm local time.
An initial assessment would suggest that clean-up and repair work could take up to two weeks, a statement read.
The company reported damage to one of three shredder units and one filter unit, but it said “proper functioning of on-site fire prevention and mitigation measures” meant that the outbreak was contained. Assessment of the need for any further fire safety measures remains ongoing.
After reporting net sales growth of 350% last year, Renewcell is currently working to ramp up production at Renewcell 1 to 60,000 tonnes this year. The site, which at full capacity will produce 120,000 tonnes of dissolving pulp annually, shipped its first batch of Circulose in late December.
Renewcell 1. Credit: Henrik Bodin.
