Valmet Oyj: Valmet's key technology delivery supports efficient and flexible pulp production at the new Century Sunshine Rizhao mill in China
Valmet Oyj's press release on October 21, 2026 at 09:30 a.m. EEST
Valmet is delivering key technology for Century Sunshine's new Rizhao pulp mill that is being built in Shandong province in China. Valmet's delivery includes cooking and fiberlines, an evaporation plant, a recovery boiler with optimizers, ash treatment and a white liquor plant.
The new pulp mill is part of Century Sunshine's strategic three-phase investment program "Paper-for-Plastic", which aims for 2.65 million tonnes of annual new paper production with the goal of plastics replacement with various paper-based products. The new pulp mill is designed to have an annual capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of hardwood or softwood pulp and 400,000 tonnes of softwood pulp.
The order was included in Valmet's orders received for the second quarter of 2026. The value of the order exceeds EUR 100 million. The exact value of the order will not be disclosed. The new mill is expected to start up in June 2028.
"This project is at the core of our strategy to improve our self-sufficiency in raw material supply and meet the evolving needs of customers in the Chinese market. We chose Valmet as a partner for this project based on our positive previous experiences and their ability to meet our project needs both regarding technology and our investment budget," says Jeff Cheng, Vice President, Century Sunshine.
"Valmet has a long-term partnership with Century Sunshine with our paper technology, and we will now strengthen our cooperation with this pulp mill delivery. This delivery showcases not only customer trust in Valmet but also highlights our competitiveness in China. For example, we have increased the share of locally manufactured parts for the evaporation plant. With our strong local technology and service organization in China we will be able to support the customer throughout the mill's lifecycle," says Xiangdong Zhu, Executive Vice President, China Chair, Valmet.
"The new Century Sunshine Rizhao mill will produce fluff, dissolving, softwood and hardwood pulp, and is an excellent example of product differentiation to meet the growing market needs with Valmet's full scope offering. The mill features the latest cooking technology, a high-power recovery boiler with leading optimization and safety features, and electrostatic precipitator for efficient dust emissions reduction," says Andreas Michalik, Vice President, Pulp Mills, Pulp, Energy and Circularity Business Area, Valmet.
Energy efficiency and long-term availability in technology focus
Valmet's delivery for the new Century Sunshine Rizhao mill includes complete cooking and fiberlines, and the recovery island. There will be two parallel cooking and fiberlines, one of which is a Valmet Continuous Cooking swing line producing bleached softwood or hardwood pulp, and another line producing bleached softwood pulp aimed for fluff and dissolving pulp production. The lines feature Valmet TwinRoll Press -based washing and screening as well as White Liquor Oxidation.
The recovery island consists of an Evaporation plant with Valmet Tubel technology, a high-power Recovery Boiler, an Ash Crystallization plant, a Recausticizing plant and two Lime Kilns with integrated Biomass Dryers and Gasifiers. Safe and efficient operations of the recovery boiler are secured with Valmet Electrostatic Precipitators (ESP), Valmet Smelt Spout Robot, Optimizers and Furnace Camera. The lime kilns are equipped with Valmet ESP and are designed to use biomass as fuel, making the mill fossil-fuel free.
About the customer Century Sunshine Paper Group
Century Sunshine (Rizhao) Pulp and Paper is part of the Century Sunshine Paper Group, a pulp and paper manufacturer headquartered in Weifang, Shandong Province, China. Founded in 2000 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company focuses on the production of high-grade packaging papers, including white top linerboard, coated kraft paper, corrugated medium, and specialty papers. With multiple subsidiaries and large-scale production facilities, Century Sunshine operates an integrated value chain spanning pulp, paper manufacturing, and packaging solutions.
VALMET
Corporate Communications
Further information:
Sanna Röyskö, Vice President, Pulp Mill Sales, Pulp, Energy and Circularity Business Area, Valmet, tel. +358 40 821 1268
Xiangdong Zhu, Executive Vice President, China Chair, Valmet, tel. +86 138 017 957 75
Valmet is a global technology leader in serving process industries. We work with our customers throughout the lifecycle, delivering cutting-edge technologies and services, as well as mission-critical automation and flow control solutions. Backed by more than 225 years of industrial experience and a global team of 18,500 professionals close to customers, we are uniquely positioned to transform industries toward a regenerative tomorrow.
In 2025, Valmet's net sales totaled approximately EUR 5.2 billion. Our head office is in Espoo, Finland, and we have experts in approximately 40 countries around the world. Valmet's shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
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