Global consultancy Arup to lead £600 million transformation of Shotton Paper Mill

Global consultancy Arup has been appointed to lead the transformation of the Shotton Paper Mill in Deeside – a key part of UK’s recycling infrastructure.

The firm, supported by architects AHR, will work with the mill’s owner Eren Holdings through the expansion plans to redevelop the mill, which will create 660 new jobs as part of a £600 million investment in the local area.

The transformed state-of-the-art facility will produce up to 750,000 tonnes of cardboard each year and will also have the capacity to recycle all wastepaper generated in Wales.

The Arup-led team will provide project management, design and engineering expertise for the project’s first phase, which is due to be fully operational in 2024.

The expansion will include a container board machine building, new warehouse and dispatch facilities, a combined heat and power boiler building. Subsequent phases of the project will include a corrugated packaging factory and tissue factory.

Shotton Paper Mill opened in 1983 and now plays a key role in the UK’s recycling infrastructure. Recycled paper and other recyclable materials, including household glass and plastics collected across the UK, are brought to site for reprocessing.

Director at Arup, Andy Pennington, said: “This development will create one of the most technologically advanced paper mills in the world.

“It exemplifies what’s best in sustainable development, bringing significant investment and new jobs to the Deeside area – as well as significantly increasing recycling capacity for this part of the UK.”

Shotton Mill’s General Manager, Dan Johnson, said: “Shotton Mill and Modern Karton are delighted to have the expertise and experience of Arup leading the design of this development.

“Arup’s support of the design and implementation in the UK and Turkey was a key factor in choosing them as our partner. This is a very exciting time in the mill and we look forward to working with Arup to deliver a world-class manufacturing facility in North Wales.”

Director of AHR, Gurminder Sanghera, said: “AHR is delighted to collaborate with Arup to deliver this innovative, state-of-the-art facility for a client with sustainability principles embedded within its culture and production process.

“This exciting project will deliver huge benefits for the local region – in terms of skills and generating employment – and we’re proud to be part of the design team helping bring this project to fruition.”