Prince Albert Sask pulp mill receives timber allocation for restart
A pulp mill in Prince Albert has taken another step toward restarting operations after the Saskatchewan government approved timber allocations to the mill on Thursday.
Paper Excellence said the decision by the government is critical to the restart of the mill.
âPaper Excellence is pleased to have secured the critically needed forest fibre for the 2023 restart of the Prince Albert pulp facility,â Carlo Dal Monte, the companyâs vice-president of energy and business development, said in a statement.
âThis fibre is critical to the restart of the Prince Albert pulp mill which is currently planned for the fall of 2023.â
Read more: Prince Albert pulp mill receives $600K injection from Paper Excellence
According to the company, it has been granted a softwood fibre allocation of just over one million cubic metres per year by the province.
Story continues below advertisement
The mill will have a capacity to produce 350,000 tonnes of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft pulp annually, requiring approximately 1,800,000 cubic metres of softwood fibre.
The remaining timber will come from agreements negotiated with other mills, Indigenous timber allocation holders and private landowners.
Saskatchewan Environment Minister Warren Kaeding says reopening the mill is good news for the provinceâs sustainable forestry industry.
âThe facility will play an important role in making the most effective use of Saskatchewanâs forest resources, including utilizing chips and other smaller pieces of wood from sawmill production,â he said.
Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said increasing the forestry sector is also a key goal in the governmentâs growth plan.
âThe restart of the Paper Excellence pulp mill is expected to create over 1,650 direct and indirect jobs, while enhancing northern and Indigenous economic and labour development opportunities within our world-class forestry sector,â she said.
Read more: New OSB mill in Prince Albert, Sask. moving forward after timber allocation
Paper Excellence has allocated $550 million in capital investments to refurbish and upgrade the facility.
Dal Monte said the company continues to work with stakeholders as it moves forward with the restart of the mill.
Story continues below advertisement
âWe remain dedicated to completing the facilityâs pre-engineering and filing necessary provincial environmental approvals to achieve our targeted late 2023 restart date,â he said.
âAs with many large projects, we are refining our understanding of the facilityâs economics and the needed funding arrangements.â
The company said it is also meeting with key Indigenous partners and businesses that will form the supply chain for the mill.
Paper Excellence said 200 people will be employed at the mill and estimates the economic spinoff for northern Saskatchewan at more than $300 million annually.
The Prince Albert pulp mill opened in 1968 as a softwood kraft pulp mill.
It was purchased by Weyerhaeuser in 1986 and remained in operation until 2006 when it was closed and subsequently bought by Domtar.
Paper Excellence bought the mill from Domtar in 2011, which included a 10-year non-compete clause for paper-grade pulp that expired in March.
1:35 Prince Albert, Sask. pulp mill receives $600K injection from Paper Excellence Prince Albert, Sask. pulp mill receives $600K injection from Paper Excellence â" Feb 6, 2021© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
0 Response to "Prince Albert Sask pulp mill receives timber allocation for restart"
Post a Comment