Name of the Project
Project Vulindlela.

Location
Umkomaas, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Sappi.

Project Description
Sappi proposes to expand capacity and undertake various continuous improvement initiatives and upgrade projects at the Saiccor mill – collectively known as Project Vulindlela.

Vulindlela will increase the mill’s production from 780 000 t/y to 890 000 t/y of dissolving wood pulp. The projects will include a new evaporator, recovery boiler and screening and washing plant, as well as upgrades to the bleach plant and pulp machines, improved recovery circuits and additional magnesium digesters.

Potential Job Creation
The construction phase of the project is expected to peak at about 2 200 employees, 40% of whom will be sourced from the local communities, 40% from KwaZulu-Natal, 15% from within South Africa and 5% as specialists from foreign countries.

Further, once completed, the plant will require 120 full-time employees to maintain and operate equipment.

Capital Expenditure
The project will cost R7.7-billion, which includes the capacity upgrade (R2.7-billion) and various environmental and continuous improvement projects (R5-billion).

The environmental projects constitute the majority of the total costs.

Planned Start /End Date
The project is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Latest Developments
Project Vulindlela is progressing apace and it is expected that the proposed completion date will be achieved.

The company has achieved the first critical mechanical milestone of the project, with the lifting of the boiler steam drum having been completed in July.

It has also recorded several other key milestones, including the completion of the piling of the digesters and recovery boiler, and the erection of the steelwork for the recovery boiler, which is nearing completion.

To accommodate the increased capacity of the upgraded mill, a new woodyard with capacity to support upwards of one-million tonnes of pulp was completed in April.

Sappi also received final environmental authorisation for the mill expansion in November last year.

The project scope includes increasing the digesting and chemical recovery capacity of the mill, improving washing and screening of the pulp produced by the digesters and upgrading the pulp bleaching and drying plants.

Key to improving the sustainability of the operation is the substitution of a large part of the original calcium cooking plant with state-of-the-art magnesium cooking, which allows for chemical recovery.

Space is at a premium at Saiccor mill; therefore, all redundant areas will have to be reconfigured to accommodate the installation of the new plant.

The next critical milestones for the project will include tie-ins to the existing plant, modifications to the bleaching plant and upgrading the pulp dryer.

The continuous improvement initiatives at Saiccor, which comprise the second part of the project, will result in the mill’s capacity increasing to more than one-million tonnes a year.

The current project installation is sized to easily increase capacity when the mill is ready and, therefore, the decision to further expand the mill’s capacity will be made in 2020 once the current project has been bedded down.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
AF and Wood (management of Project Vulindlela); Andritz, Valmet, GL&V, ND Engineering, ABB, Karasek, Murray &Roberts, Franki and Stefanutti Stocks.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Sappi group corporate affairs head André Oberholzer, tel +27 11 407 8044 or email Andre.Oberholzer@sappi.com.