HELSINKI: The winner in Sunday’s Finnish election Juha Sipila, is targeting the “bio-economy” to generate 200,000 jobs over the next decade.
Sipila is seeking to build on the country’s traditional pulp mills and paper factories and develop new businesses and products such as biodegradable plastics, biofuels, wood composites and construction materials.
One project already under way that will further Sipila’s goals is in Aanekoski, where Metsa Group is building a 1.2 billion-euro ($1.3 billion) bioproduct mill to produce mainly pulp and energy.
Metsa Group gave the project the go-ahead on Tuesday and said the mill and businesses related to it will create 1,500 new jobs once completed in 2017. The investment will increase Finnish exports by about 500 million euros per year, it said.
