Verso Corporation Board of Directors Forms Strategic Alternatives Committee

Adjusted EBITDA totaled R$1,824 million in 1Q18, 8% less than in 4Q17, due to lower sales volume, to the higher cash COGS effect, in turn impacted by the higher production cash cost, partially offset by the higher average net price of pulp in dollars. The EBITDA margin stood at 55% excluding the sale of pulp from Klabin and 49% including this effect. The 1Q18 net financial result was negative by R$270 million, versus a negative R$781 million in 4Q17 and a positive R$331 million in 1Q17. The variation from 4Q17 and 1Q17 was chiefly due to the lower exchange rate effect on the debt position and the hedge result. As a result of all the above, Fibria reported 1Q18 net income of R$615 million, versus net income of R$280 million in 4Q17 and R$329 million in 1Q17. Click Read More below for additional information.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has been awarded orders from Nine Dragons Paper, China, to supply equipment and key process technologies for five of their mills. The scope of supply on EPS basis includes the following equipment: *A white liquor plant with a capacity of 10,500 m3/d, including a recausticizing plant and an ANDRITZ LimeKiln. The recausticizing plant delivery includes a green liquor cooler, a LimeSlake slaker-classifier, three causticizer tank agitators, a drum filter for dregs handling, a LimeWhite filter for white liquor filtration to achieve high white liquor quality, and a LimeDry filter for efficient lime mud filtration to ensure high lime mud dryness and consequently a low heat consumption in the kiln. The ANDRITZ LimeKiln, with a capacity of 950 t/d burnt lime, will be equipped with a high-efficiency LimeCool sector cooler. *A recausticizing plant with a capacity of 5,800 m3/d. *Two ash re-crystallization (ARC) systems with ash handling capacities of 400 t/d and 200 t/d respectively, to treat the ash from the electrostatic precipitator by decreasing the chloride and potassium content while recovering sodium and sulphate. *A recausticizing plant with a capacity of 5,800 m3/d. *An ash re-crystallization (ARC) system with an ash handling capacity of 200 t/d to treat the ash from the electrostatic precipitator by decreasing the chloride and potassium content while recovering sodium and sulphate. *Three recausticizing plants with a capacity of 2,500 m3/d each.

As part of Sappi’s global long term commitment to sustainability and the focus it has on climate action a decision has been reached to invest in a complete modernisation of boiler 11 at the Sappi Europe Gratkorn production site. This investment into state-of-the-art technology will see a shift from a coal boiler to a multi fuel boiler in two phases with the goal to finally use only sustainable and renewable fuels. “The rebuild is an important investment in our sustainable pulp and paper production and a further important contribution to climate protection. It allows Gratkorn mill to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30 % and is a big commitment to boosting the decarbonisation of our sector”, says Berry Wiersum, CEO Sappi Europe. This investment is part of an overall larger scale decarbonisation strategy for Sappi Europe, which in the near term seeks to deliver a 25% specific greenhouse gas reduction by 2025.