Released on September 9, 2021
Proposed Mill To Create 1,650 Jobs, Help Double Forestry Sector Growth
Today, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the approval of timber allocations to support the restart of the Paper Excellence pulp mill in Prince Albert.
"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. "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 reopening of the pulp mill in Prince Albert is welcome news for Saskatchewan's sustainable forestry sector,” Environment Minister Warren Kaeding said. "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."
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 m3 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 remaining balance will be secured by the company through commercial agreements negotiated with other mills, Indigenous timber allocation holders and private landowners.
"Paper Excellence is pleased to have secured the critically needed forest fibre for the 2023 restart of the Prince Albert pulp facility," Energy and Business Development Vice President Carlo Dal Monte said. "This decision reflects the Saskatchewan government's forward thinking and robust job creation ambitions."
Paper Excellence is a privately owned pulp company that owns two pulp mills in Europe and ten pulp mills in Canada, including two pulp mills in Saskatchewan. The Prince Albert pulp mill was constructed in 1968 and open until the previous operator closed it in 2006.
In 2020, more than $1.1 billion worth of Saskatchewan forest products were sold, an almost 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
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For more information, contact:
Robin Speer
Energy and Resources
Regina
Phone: 306-519-5006
Email: robin.speer@gov.sk.ca