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SPCI Convention 2013 26 September 2013

Ngodwana Mill Update

Investing in the future

| SPCI 2013 – 26 September 2

Andrea Rossi

GoCell Project Executive Director

Andrew Hall

GoCell Project Manager

Kristina Idner

GoCell Project Process Manager


AMEC at a glance

• FTSE 100 company • Market cap*

c.£3.2 billion

• Operating in over 40 countries worldwide

• Serving oil & gas, mining, clean energy and environment & infrastructure markets across the world

• Over 29,000 employees in:

– Europe 11,000 – Americas 14,500 – Growth Regions 3,500

• Revenue some £4.2 billion, or US$6.6 billion

* As at 9 August 2013


AMEC market sectors

Oil & Gas

• FTSE 100 company

• Oil & Gas • Unconventional Oil &

Gas

Clean Energy

• Nuclear • Renewables / Bio-

process • Transmission &

Distribution • Power

Environment & Infrastructure

• Water • Transportation /

Infrastructure • Government Services • Industrial /

Commercial

Mining

• Mining

* As at 9 August 2013


Infrastructure ca 1700 consultants

International ca 1250 consultants

Industry ca 1750 consultants

Technology ca 2000 consultants

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Mill

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Effi

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Env

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Dam

age

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ility

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Sweden 57%

South America

23%

South Africa 11% Europe

8%

Asia 1%

ÅF Forest Industry ca 300 consultants sales 27 MEuro 2012

Assignments of the process and consultant group

2013


Sappi Group Profile

• Headquartered in Johannesburg, Sappi is a global company, with global

brands, global assets and a global shareholding

• Listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange

• Sales in more than 100 countries

• Leading supplier of coated fine paper

• Also manufacture a range of uncoated specialties and commodity grades

• World’s largest producer of Specialized Cellulose

• Own and/or manage 567 000 hectares of forest lands in Southern Africa


What is DP / Specialized Cellulose

• Dissolving Pulp / Specialty Cellulose / Specialized Cellulose

– High purity cellulose

– Low hemi-cellulose content

– High brightness and low dirt count

– Low ash content (Ca, SiO2, Mg, Fe)

– Chemical feedstock

• Similar process technology and equipment as for conventional pulps, but:

– Requires acid treatment to remove hemicellulose

Acid sulphite or Prehydrolysed Kraft (PHK)

– Very low cooking Kappa followed by high brightness bleaching

– Process water is deionised to manage metals content

– Viscosity control critical – need consistent molecular chain length


Two Main Grades

• “High-Alpha” or “Acetate” grade

– Approx. 30% of global production

– Acetates, ethers, nitrates, other specialties

• “Low-Alpha” or “Viscose” grade

– Balance of 70% of global production

– Approx. 90% goes into manufacture of viscose products

– Balance is used in ethers, nitrates, MCC, moulding powders, etc

– Viscose family of products includes:

Staple fibre (textiles and non-wovens)

Tyre cord and industrial yarns

Films (cellophane) and sponges


Specialized Cellulose : End Uses


Sappi and Specialized Cellulose

• South African Industrial Cellulose Corporation (SAICCOR) was established in

the 1950’s to pioneer the production of Specialized Cellulose from eucalyptus

– JV between Courtauld, SNIA Viscosa and the South African IDC

– Started up a 30 000 tpa mill based on Ca-sulphite cooking in 1955

• Commissioned 170 000 tpa Mg-sulphite line in 1985

• SAICCOR was purchased by Sappi in 1989 – by this time production capacity

had increased to 400 000 tpa on 2 fibrelines and 4 drying lines

• “Mkomazi” Project increased capacity to 580 000 tpa in 1994

– Entire mill converted to O2 delignification and ECF bleaching

– Flash drying plant decommissioned and original Pulp Dryer 1 retired

– 3 fibrelines and 3 drying lines


Recent Specialized Cellulose Investments - Saiccor

• Project “Amakhulu” commissioned in 2008

– New 310 000 tpa production line comprising:

New hardwood chipping plant

11 batch digesters (Mg-sulphite process)

New washing, screening and bleaching line

New pulp dryer (Andritz twin-wire with shoe press)

Multiple effect evaporator set

Recovery boiler and steam turbine generator (60 MVA)

Decommissioned 75 000 tpa of old Ca-sulphite capacity

• Saiccor capacity today is 815 000 tpa of viscose grade pulp, making it by far

the largest sulphite mill and largest SC mill in the world


Recent Specialized Cellulose Investments - Cloquet

• Cloquet mill was purchased from Potlatch in 2002

• One of the most modern fibrelines in N. America based on Metso’s

SuperBatch cooking and wash presses throughout the fibreline

• Capacity of 440 000 tpa of bleached kraft pulp, partially integrated with the

site’s 2 CWF paper machines with balance sold on the market

• Project Athena: Conversion of Cloquet fibreline to 330 000 tpa SC

– All capacity is aimed at the VSF market

– Detailed engineering started November 2011

– Major shutdowns in April 2012 and April 2013

– Start-up May 2013

– Paper mill converted to run on purchased pulp


Recent Specialized Cellulose Investments - Cloquet

• Project Athena comprised the following upgrades:

– New woodyard de-barking system

– Conversion of cooking process from SuperBatch to Lenzing’s VISCBC

Addition of 2 new batch digesters

– Upgrade brownstock screening system

– Add ozone stage to existing bleach plant: Z/D – Eop – D

– New ozone generation plant

– Upgrade of the pulp drying line (Andritz):

Install cleaners (previously only screens)

Rebuild baling line (wrapping)

– New demineralised water plant


Ngodwana – Project GoCell


Recent Specialized Cellulose Investments - Ngodwana

• Ngodwana mill originally established in the 1960’s

• Major expansion in the 1980’s to current configuration

– Most plant and equipment is 1980’s vintage

• Mill configuration prior to most recent investment:

– PM1 producing KLB, WTL

– PM2 producing standard and improved newsprint grades

– Uptake Machine 3 (UM3) producing BSKP and BHKP

– Uptake Machine 2 (wetlap) producing USKP and UHKP

• Wood resource is pine and eucalyptus

• Mill is self-sufficient in terms of power generation

• Mill is severely water constrained


Ngodwana Investment Objectives

• Time to announcement and time to market were key factors

– Project was fast-track from day 1

– Sappi needed to maintain its position as market leader

• Ngodwana mill is a key asset in South Africa and SC was a way to move it up

the value chain

• Conversion of Ngodwana to SC would provide synergies in terms of Sappi’s

restructuring of South African operations

• Align Ngodwana with the long term objective of switching forest lands from

softwood to hardwood

• Streamline the mill’s production processes for improved efficiencies

• Pre-feasibility study for Project NGOdwana CELLulose (GoCell) was

commissioned in October 2010


Project GoCell - Constraints

• The site has a very low water usage, and the SC conversion had to be done

without increasing consumption

– Design water usage based on all products (paper & SC ) is <13 m3/t

• Effluent receiving body is very small, so strict discharge limits on Na, Cl & SO4

– Most difficult is Na at < 14 t/d (~ 9 kg/t)

• Mill to retain power self sufficiency

• Design a plant that is cost-effective but easy to operate and maintain

– Since this was a new product for the mill, the operators would have a steep

learning curve

• Produce a product interchangeable with Saiccor as far as possible

• Design a fibreline capable of ECF and TCF bleaching of SC and BHKP

• Overcome the space constraints inherent in a brownfield site


Project GoCell – Overview

• Nominal SC capacity of 210 000 tpa

– Based on maximum utilization of the recovery boiler capacity

– RB2 rebuild from 1850 to 2200 tDS/d was added late in the project

• New hardwood chipping plant (Metso EPS)

• New PHK batch cooking process (Metso EPS)

• New fibreline with O – D – Z/Eop – D bleaching (Metso EPS)

• New ClO2 Plant (Eka EPS)

• Rebuild existing UM3 for Specialized Cellulose production (Andritz EPC)

• Upgrade existing Recausticizing and Evaporation (Metso EPS)

• New Ash Leaching Plant (Metso EPS)

• New Demineralised Water Plant (Veolia EPC)

• Rebuild Fibreline 2 for Hi-Kappa production


Ngodwana Mill – Old Configuration

PINE

EUCALYPT

SOFTWOOD PROCESSING

GROUNDWOOD PLANT

BLEACH PLANT

FIBRELINE 1(HI-KAPPA)HARDWOOD

PROCESSING

PM1 (KLB)

PM2 (NEWSPRINT)

FIBRELINE 2(LO-KAPPA)

UPTAKE 3(BSKP / BHKP)

OCC PLANT

UPTAKE 2(USKP / UHKP)


Ngodwana Mill – New Configuration

PURCHASED BSKP

PINE

EUCALYPT

210 000 tpa

220 000 tpa

124 000 tpa

SOFTWOOD PROCESSING

GROUNDWOOD PLANT

FIBRELINE 3WASHING & BLEACHING

FIBRELINE 3DIGESTERS

NEW HARDWOOD PROCESSING

PM1 (KLB)

PM2 (NEWSPRINT)

FIBRELINE 2(HI-KAPPA)

UPTAKE 3(CC)

OCC PLANT

PROJECT GOCELL


Project GoCell – Mill Area Summaries


Project GoCell – Execution Strategy

• Main process equipment packages from Vendors on EPS or EPC basis

– Included detailed process, mechanical and piping engineering

– Basic E&I engineering only

• Civil and Structural design by local consultant

• Detailed E&I engineering as well as main E & I equipment supply (including

instruments) by ABB (EPS basis – no construction)

• DCS engineering and supply by ABB

• Complete MEIP erection in a single general contract

• EpCM contractor to provide:

– Overall engineering, project & construction management (incl. HSSE)

– Detailed engineering for BoP and non-EPS/EPC packages

– Project services (planning, doc control, cost control)

– No procurement or QA/QC – directly by Sappi


Wood Handling - Hardwood

• Hardwood is segregated into two blends:

– Blend of E. grandis, dunnii, and macarthuri

– E. nitens (+ minor quantities of high density cold tolerants)

• New hardwood log storage yard

– All hardwood is delivered de-barked, but layout will accommodate future mill

de-barking

• New Metso drop-feed chipper (15 knives) for 2.4 – 6 m logs

• Log washing station with water recirculation and clarification

– Remove sand to minimize silica ingress to process

• Existing mill SW chip storage pile converted for HW storage

– Together with existing HW storage pile, gives 7 days’ chip ageing


Wood Handling - Softwood

• Existing Softwood log yard, de-barking and chipping unchanged

– Operates at much lower rates today

• New Softwood chip storage pile

– Old pile converted for HW use

– New pile much smaller than old due to much reduced future SW use

– Refurbished conveyor galleries and reclaimers from idled Usutu mill

• Existing chip screening system re-used

– Duties were swapped – existing SW screens are now HW and vice versa


No.3 Fibreline : Cooking

• Prehydrolysed Kraft based on Metso Batch process

– 6 x 330 m3 digesters

– Getting the energy balance right is crucial to minimizing water consumption

– Digesters provides process heat for the bleach plant, for pulp drying and for

chilled water production for ClO2 and HVAC

– Surplus warm water used as cooling tower make-up millwide

– Surplus heat is rejected through cooling towers

• Two distinct cooking recipes for the two wood blends

– E. nitens has high hemicellulose content and low yield

• Plant is also designed to produce market hardwood pulp

– This, together with seasonal water temperature differences and 6 possible

bleaching configurations, made for a difficult water and heat balance.


No.3 Fibreline : Washing & Screening

• Washing based on Metso’s new TRPE washpress

• First press much larger to deal with low consistency feed

• Two washing stages before and two after O2 Delignification

• 3-stage screening with sand removal (rejects content very low)

• Washed knots and screening rejects are pumped to Hi-Kappa Fibreline 2

– Only sand cleaner and junk trap rejects are dumped

• Single stage O2 Delignification

– Design Kappa drop 50% (6 – 8 → 3 – 4)

– Two stage post-O2 washing before brownstock storage


No.3 Fibreline : Bleaching

• 3-stage to minimize capital and footprint

• Designed as ECF, but can also operate as ECF-”lite” and TCF

• Plant can also be operated to produce market pulp – 6 variants in all

• Washing based on Metso TRPE presses, except TRPZ ahead of HC Z stage

– “Normal” ECF effluent = 11.7 m3/ADt (design = 9.4 m3/ADt)

• ClO2 Plant from Eka Chemicals

– 5 t/d based on HPA process (first HPA plant engineered from scratch)

– Spent acid used as make-up to liquor cycle


No.3 Uptake Machine

• 4.8 m wide fourdrinier machine designed for BSKP

• Scope of upgrade:

– New airborne dryer

Old dryer was badly corroded and had a difficult threading system

– New baling line

Existing bale press and unityer retained – everything in between replaced

– Upgrade of cutter

– New shoe press for wet tensile strength ahead of open draw into dryer

– Additional suction boxes for drainage at lower freeness

– Hot demineralised water showers over hi-vac boxes

– New broke storage tower

– Process water system converted to demineralised water


Recovery Upgrade

• Mill has two evaporation trains with total capacity of 485 t/h

• GoCell upgrade to 550 t/h total

– Approx. 60% of condensates are stripped to ensure suitable quality for re-use

• Capacity of the Recausticizing plant increased to 5 500 m3/d white liquor

– New slaker and No.4 causticizer

– New green liquor cooler

– New PDW white liquor filter

– New dregs centrifuge

• Existing Lime Kiln has adequate capacity

– Coal gas producer rebuild completed on mill maintenance budget

– Additional LVHC and SOG are fired in the kiln


Recovery – Ash Leaching Plant

• Designed to treat 60 t/d of recovery boiler precipitator ash

• Much higher potassium and chloride load on liquor cycle due to hardwoods

• Two-stage process with two centrifuges

– First two-stage system sold by Metso

– Required to minimize the loss of sodium to effluent (<14 t/d !!)


Recovery – No.2 Recovery Boiler Upgrade

• Capacity increase from nominal 1 850 tDS/d to 2 200 tDS/d

• Late addition to the project due to concerns that the condition of the boiler would

preclude it from achieving the required performance

• 1980’s Götaverken boiler upgraded by Metso:

– Complete air system upgrade

– New primary SH I and II banks

– Repairs to primary SH III and secondary SH

– Complete the boiler wall tube replacement program (364 tubes)

– New firing liquor stations complete with services

– Water circulation system upgrades, incl. 4 new risers

• Boiler has already passed the performance test


No.2 Recovery Boiler Upgrade

New Primary air ports and windboxes New secondary air port


No.2 Recovery Boiler Upgrade

Superheater panel offloading New steam header


Project GoCell – Construction Overview


GoCell Project Timeline

• Start Feasibility Study (± 25%)

• Start Definition Study (± 10%)

• Main EPS contracts awarded

• Start of piling

• Civil contractor mobilized

• MEIP Contractor mobilized

• First cook

October 2010

January 2011

August 2011

October 2011

January 2012

May 2012

27 July 2013


Construction Achievements

• Start-up Date – Target

– Actual

• Safety record

– Total man-hours

– No. of LTI’s

– LTIFR

– LTI-free hours

May 2013

July 2013

5 403 958

2

0.07

4 532 328


Construction Challenges - Skills

• Steady decline in the number of skilled artisans in South Africa

• Two large power station projects competing for resources

• Civil, structural, E&I less of a problem

• Major problem is

– Pipe fitting

– Pipe welding

– Boilermaking

• No choice but to bring in artisans from overseas


Construction Challenges - Skills

• Project had a multi-cultural workforce with artisans from

– South Africa - Pakistan

– Thailand - Portugal

– Croatia - Sweden

• In addition, the site management and supervision team comprised people from:

– Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Austria, Germany

• Significant challenges:

– Communication

– Different management / supervision styles / requirements

– Different levels of productivity and different attitudes to safety


Addressing the Lack of Skills

• Established a recruitment and training centre adjacent to the mill, to source

labour locally and teach unemployed people from the local community new skills

• Established a database of all work seekers – all contractors required to draw

unskilled and semi-skilled labour from this database

• Candidates for skills training were identified and provided 6 weeks intensive

training in one of the following:

– Bricklaying

– Rebar fixing

– Carpentry / shuttering

– Plumbing

– Mechanical / piping artisan assistants

– Grouting


GoCell Training Centre

• Total of 650 people received training at the centre

• 476 of these found employment on the project

• Safety was strongly emphasized

– No graduate of the program suffered a reportable injury on the project

• The program was well received and supported by all stakeholders

– Graduates received a nationally recognized certificate

– Contributed significantly to Industrial Relations on site – no strikes

• The project was able to source 29% of the total labour from the local community

• Program was recognized nationally at the 2012 annual BHP Billiton Skills

Development Summit, with gold awards in two categories:

– Best Training Program – Large Companies

– Best Training Program – Empowerment Skills Development


GoCell Skills Transfer – Welding School

• A welding school was established jointly by the project and the Thai labour

broker

– Project supplied the facilities, equipment and funding

– Thai welding supervisors provided instruction

– 20 graduates from the training centre were provided 8 weeks of instruction

and qualified as certified welders

• Programme was also opened up to Sappi’s own welders from mills all across

South Africa

• Excellent example of real skills transfer in action


Construction Challenges – New UM3 Dryer

• The old UM3 Dryer was somewhat unique in that it stood on a raised steel

structure, with bale storage conveyors below

• Replacing this dryer was always going to be a challenge

– Limited crane access from either side due to proximity of pulp warehouses

– North wall above the bleached pulp warehouse is facebrick tied into the steel

structure

– Space inside the building was limited – all work on the bale line replacement

would need to stop while dryer demolition and erection in progress

– Tests on the roof revealed asbestos


Construction Challenges – New UM3 Dryer


Photo of Existing Dryer

Thank You

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