RICHMOND, B.C. (News release) - Paper Excellence has recently invested more than $600,000 in engineering and consulting work focused on restarting the Prince Albert pulp mill. Paper Excellence originally purchased the Prince Albert pulp mill in 2011. It now plans to restart the facility as soon as possible once the current non-compete agreement with the former owner expires in March 2021.
"We plan to replace the entire fibre line from the digester to the last bleaching stage. This will replace the heart of the mill and let us take full advantage of the existing recovery boiler which is one of the most modern in Canada," explains Carlo Dal Monte, Vice President, Energy & Business Development. "While this is an expensive strategy, it will simplify construction and minimize commissioning risks. Once we are up and running, we will also realize a significant improvement in product quality, operating costs and environmental performance compared to the mill that was shut down in 2006."
Currently, Paper Excellence is carrying out engineering work for the new equipment and completing a detailed evaluation of the existing equipment that will be refurbished. Also, in mid-January, Paper Excellence installed new signs at the mill entrance to signal its efforts to restart the mill.
In addition to the work taking place on site, Paper Excellence is meeting with representatives of the Saskatchewan government and local Indigenous groups to discuss shared funding, project timelines and related investment opportunities. Paper Excellence looks forward to the day when the site can employee 200 people creating over $300 million per year in economic benefits for Prince Albert and all of Saskatchewan.
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