Fortissue, a Portuguese tissue producer, together with Toscotec has successfully completed the upgrade of its PM1 machine at the Viana do Castelo mill, transforming it into the world’s first tissue line to run entirely on electric energy, achieving an operating speed of 2,000 m/min. Originally started up in 2015, the AHEAD 2.0 line was upgraded to enhance production sustainability.
Toscotec’s intervention included the installation of a fully electric air system, featuring the TT Hood with multi-stage heat recovery, the TT Swing for flexible airflow management, and the TT Turbodryer, which utilizes recovered heat to improve press efficiency and increase dryness. Additionally, the new TT SteamBooster was introduced—also electric—which is capable of generating 100% of the steam needed by the TT SYD by recovering heat from the hood’s exhaust gases and integrating it with high-efficiency electric generation.
All the energy used by PM1 comes from electrical sources. Fortissue can either draw power from the Portuguese national grid or use 100% renewable energy from its own wind and solar plants. This results in a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when using grid electricity and zero net emissions when exclusively using renewable sources.
Nuno Ribeiro, owner of Fortissue, highlighted the pioneering nature of the project, calling it a decisive step forward in the energy transition of the industry and perfectly aligned with consumer demand for more sustainable solutions. Gabriele Barattini, project manager at Toscotec, praised the collaboration between the two teams, emphasizing the success of the intervention and the operational flexibility of the machine, which now allows for the use of electricity, gas, or a mixed energy setup.