Boosting stability, efficiency, and sustainability – Valmet supports Hamburger Containerboard Dunaújváros with multiple upgrades

Hamburger Hungaria, part of Prinzhorn Group, is a leading brown containerboard paper manufacturer in Europe. With its two production lines in Hungary, Hamburger Containerboard Dunaújváros produces 700,000 tons of recycled containerboard paper each year. On site, the company also operates a power plant with a Valmet CFB Boiler to meet the mill’s energy demand and utilize production by-products as energy.

Valmet delivered the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler together with a flue gas cleaning system to the Dunaújváros site in 2015, and a long-term service agreement was signed. Over time, the cooperation has grown into a lifecycle partnership, paving road for joint development projects that support Hamburger Hungaria’s vision of being a sustainable and innovative solution provider in the industry.

Our goal is to continuously improve the energy efficiency, operational reliability, and environmental performance as well as profitability of our production unit. Valmet, with their strong process expertise and proven technologies, is a good partner on our way forward, and we value the support they have offered throughout the lifecycle of our equipment,” says Attila Varga, Power Plant Manager, Hamburger Hungaria.

Multiple projects, one long-term vision

Over the past years, Hamburger Hungaria has invested in several solutions that enhance their power plant’s performance. In 2025, Valmet delivered an additive feeding system upgrade with a new calcium hydroxide silo and a redundant steam reduction station system for turbine bypass.

“We are very satisfied with the installations and Valmet’s support during the planning, installation and commissioning phase of the project. The results have also been excellent. These solutions support our long-term plant development targets by improving the power boiler availability and environmental performance, as well as enabling participation in the growing electricity reserve market for new revenue opportunities,” says Dániel Panyi, Project Manager, Hamburger Hungaria.

Further installations will follow during the 2026 annual shutdown – showing that Hamburger Hungaria relies on Valmet’s support when continuing to optimize their installed base with new services. This time, Valmet will supply the mill with an automatic Shock Pulse Generator system to secure heat transfer efficiency in the superheaters and economizers by improved cleaning, along with additional boiler modifications to ensure safe operating conditions with the changing fuel mix.

“We are determined to improve our environmental performance by cutting off at least 50% of our CO2emissions by 2030. With these upcoming boiler modifications, we will reduce the share of coal in our fuel mix from 20% to 15% while improving production efficiency – a significant step toward our sustainability goals. We are happy that our cooperation with Valmet leads to such great initiatives, and we look forward to deepening our partnership with these projects,” says Zoltán Uhl, Head of Power Plant Technology, Hamburger Hungaria.

A future-ready mill is built step by step

Hamburger Hungaria’s multi‑project journey demonstrates how targeted investments can transform mill performance step by step. With Valmet’s technologies and lifecycle expertise, Hamburger Hungaria is strengthening its power plant’s reliability and sustainability for years to come. Each project contributes to cleaner energy use, more stable operation, and reduced environmental impact – all tangible steps toward a regenerative tomorrow for the industry.

Our lifecycle cooperation with Hamburger Hungaria is a great example of how long-term partnership drives continuous improvement. By combining their clear development targets with our technologies and expertise, we are building a more efficient and sustainable power plant for the future together,” says Sampo Smolander, Sales Manager, Valmet.

Hamburger Hungaria Ltd - Hamburger Containerboard Dunaújváros

The subsidiary of the Prinzhorn Group operates a modern paper mill in Hungary with a strong focus on sustainability. It produces 700,000 tons of brown recycled containerboard paper per year.

Its wastepaper-based production model eliminates the need for landfill disposal by transforming recovered paper into high-value recycled containerboard. The facility also meets its own energy demands by converting production by-products into energy, supported by a modern power plant that ensures a continuous and sustainable energy supply.

The company manufactures its products exclusively from secondary raw materials and primarily using domestic resources. Its two paper machines recycle 770,000 tonnes of recovered paper each year, establishing the company as Hungary’s most significant environmental protection entity.

Between 2007 and 2025, the Prinzhorn Group invested 800 million euros in technological upgrades to the paper mill and in implementing state-of-the-art environmental and energy solutions. Over the course of the last 25 years, energy consumption has been halved and is now entirely self-generated, reducing the mill’s carbon footprint by more than a third. The amount of water required to produce one tonne of paper has fallen to one-seventh of what it was. A biological water treatment process generates enough biogas annually from the wastewater produced during paper production to heat and supply hot water to around 5,000 households, establishing the mill as one of the country’s largest biogas producers. Two-thirds of this is used to generate green electricity. Today, the company recycles 100% of the production by-products and reintegrates it into its business cycle.

Text: Marianne Valta