Yuriy Ayvazov, CEO at Kondopoga Pulp and Paper Mill: a record-setting volume of timber was delivered to the mill in 2022

Here are a few highlights from his interview to Rossiyskaya Gazeta:

In 2022, Kondopoga Pulp and Paper Mill received 200,000 m³ more raw material than planned. The company made a decision to increase the harvesting volumes due to several external factors, both positive and negative. On the one hand, the demand for softwood roundwood declined, and we took this opportunity. On the other hand, in 2023, the harvesting volumes are forecast to drop significantly in Karelia, which will reduce the supply of spruce timber that we need. In 2022, the combined volume of roundwood and chips supplied to Kondopoga Pulp and Paper Mill reached 2 million m³, which is 250,000 m³ more than in 2021.

We also purchased more timber in Karelia in 2022. In 2020, the volume of timber purchased in Karelia was 419,000 m³; in 2021, 408,000 m³; and in 2022, 620,000 m³^.

The total timber harvest in Karelia equals 8 million m³. The spruce that we use accounts for 2 million m³ of it. Karelia Pulp thus accounts for almost a third of the entire spruce harvest in this region.

As timber supplies increased, we started storing more pulpwood on water; this storage method is considered optimal for subsequent use in production, as it makes the barking process easier. Last year, the volume of timber stored on water exceeded 230,000 m³ for the first time since the 1990s. We intend to increase the log storage and bundling area.