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Paper Excellence has secured the forest fibre needed for the 2023 restart of the Prince Albert pulp mill — a move that is expected to create 1,650 jobs.
The Government of Saskatchewan announced the timber allocations for Paper Excellence on Thursday, just one day after announcing a timber allotment for a company that will build and operate an OSB plant that is expected to create more than 700 jobs in northern Saskatchewan.
“One of the key goals of Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan is to increase forestry product sales and exports and create more forestry-related jobs in the province,” Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said in a media release.
“The 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.”
The Prince Albert pulp mill was built in 1968 and was open until the previous operator closed it in 2006. Environment Minister Warran Kaeding said the reopening of the mill is welcome news for the province’s sustainable forestry sector.
“The facility will play an important role in making the most effective use of Saskatchewan’s forest resources, including utilizing chips and other smaller pieces of wood from sawmill production,” Kaeding said in the release.
With the $550-million capital investment by Paper Excellence to refurbish and upgrade the facility, the mill capacity will be 350,000 tonnes of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) pulp annually, requiring approximately 1,800,000 cubic metres of softwood fibre.
The Government of Saskatchewan is allocating the timber through the Ministry of Energy and Resources under The Forest Resources Management Act. The province is allocating the majority of the timber required for this project, while the balance will be secured by the company through commercial agreements negotiated with other mills, Indigenous timber allocation holders and private landowners.
“This decision reflects the Saskatchewan government’s forward thinking and robust job creation ambitions,” Carlo Dal Monte, Paper Excellence’s vice-president of energy and business development, said in a release. “They have been terrific to work with — taking a real interest in our project and the Prince Albert community.”
Dal Monte added Paper Excellence’s Prince Albert team continues to bring better definition to the project in terms of facility equipment.
“We remain dedicated to completing the facility’s pre-engineering and filing necessary provincial environmental approvals to achieve our targeted late 2023 restart date,” Dal Monte said. “As with many large projects, we are refining our understanding of the facility’s economics and the needed funding arrangements.”
A media release from Paper Excellence said the Prince Albert team also continues to meet with key Indigenous partners and businesses who will form supply chains to discuss shared opportunities around the mill’s fibre supply and other aspects of its operation.
It’s expected the Prince Albert pulp mill site will employ 200 people, creating more than $300 million per year in economic lift for northern Saskatchewan.
paNOW Staff
