Tag Archives: Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program

Nanaimo Forest Products, owner of the Harmac pulp mill in British Columbia, is building an electrical generation plant at the mill.

The company reached a 15 year deal with B.C. Hydro to produce 25 megawatts of power at the mill. That is enough electricity to light up 17,000 homes.

Wood biomass will be used to generate steam that will power the generator. The power generation plant is expected to cost $45 million and take 18 months to build.

Levi Sampson, president of Nanaimo Forest Products, said they plan to start construction of the new generation plant immediately. The company will cover all the costs of the project, and will use $27 million in federal funding they received under the federal Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program that was intended for projects that improve energy efficiency and environmental performance.

It is expected that 85 construction and technical jobs will be created during the construction.

Sources:
Harmac owners to build $45-million electrical generation plant – Nanaimo Forest Products reaches 15-year agreement with B.C. Hydro (Daily News)
Harmac owners back $45M plant – Nanaimo Forest Products strikes 15-year pact to sell electricity to B.C. Hydro (Daily News)
Hydro project a good move for Harmac (Daily News)

Northern Pulp will wrap up its scheduled maintenance shutdown on Monday.

Starting on October 16, the mill has been busy working on three major Green Transformation projects during this shutdown:

• A boiler upgrade that will reduce oil use by 2.5 million litres per year
• A recovery cycle project that will reduce the amount of chemical used in the pulp process
• An odour reduction project that will cut the mill’s odour emissions by 70%

These projects are seeing an average of over 600 contractors, 145 term employees, and over 200 Northern Pulp employees onsite every day during the shutdown.

This shutdown is a $20 million investment including $8 million for the maintenance work and $12 million for work on the environmental improvement projects which are scheduled to be completed by end of this year.

“This is a huge undertaking to move our Green Transformation projects forward in addition to completing the usual maintenance that is required,” said Don Breen, Vice President, Business Development & Environmental Affairs. “We have a small window of time to get this work done so we can get the Mill up and running again. The contractors, term and full-time employees are doing a fantastic job to safely deliver on our commitment to operational and environmental improvements.”

“This shutdown is critical to improve the Mill’s efficiency and long-term viability while helping Northern Pulp reduce odour emissions, increase renewable energy production and improve our environmental performance,” said Breen. “As a part of this community, it’s great to see that the local economy is benefiting from the activities at the Mill.”

Source: Northern Pulp

The Government of Canada has made $41.9 million in funding announcements through their Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program.

• West Fraser Mills Ltd. of Quesnel, British Columbia is receiving $2 million for its Quesnel River Pulp mill Waste Water Heat Exchanger Upgrade Project to improve the mill’s energy efficiency through the installation of four heat exchangers.
• Cariboo Pulp & Paper Company of Quesnel, British Columbia is receiving $5.5 million to make the facility’s processes more green and lower its environmental footprint by reducing the amount of chemicals that are delivered to the mill.
• West Fraser Mills Ltd. of Slave Lake, Alberta is receiving $5.1 million to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the mill’s energy efficiency.
• Tolko Industries Ltd. of The Pas, Manitoba will be receiving $2.5 million
• Domtar Inc. in Windsor, Quebec is receiving $5.5 million for two projects that together are expected to reduce the mill’s water use and energy consumption while improving energy efficiency and increasing production of renewable electricity.
• Fibrek S.E.N.C. in Saint-Félicien, Quebec is receiving $5.1 million to increase the mill’s energy efficiency and environmental performance.
• Kruger Wayagamack Inc. in Trois-Rivières, Quebec is receiving $6.3 million for five projects to improve environmental performance through upgrades to mill processes.
• Fortress Specialty Cellulose Inc. in Thurso, Quebec is receiving $9.9 million to generate more renewable thermal energy and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Collectively, these 15 projects are expected to generate enough renewable energy to power nearly 5,600 homes. They are also expected to save enough energy to heat an additional 18,000 homes while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 49,000 tonnes per year. This quantity of greenhouse gas is equivalent to the emissions produced annually by 13,500 cars.

The Government of Canada announced the creation of this Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program in June 2009. Canadian pulp and paper companies that produced black liquor — a byproduct of the pulping process — were eligible to access $1 billion in funding to improve their energy efficiency, their capacity to generate renewable energy, and the overall environmental performance of their pulp and paper facilities.

Source: Government of Canada

Two pulp and paper mills in New Brunswick, AV Nackawic and Twin Rivers, received funding for three projects through the Canadian Government’s $1-billion Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program.

The improved environmental performance of these mills will benefit the communities of Nackawic and Edmundston as these projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and increase renewable energy.

“This is the second project approved for AV Nackawic under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program,” said Mike Allen, Member of Parliament for Tobique—Mactaquac. “I am pleased that our Government responded to the needs of this industry by developing a program that encourages pulp and paper mills to improve the environmental sustainability of their operations. This is the best way to help secure the long term economic future of these facilities and the resulting employment.”

“The Twin Rivers mill in Edmundston plays a critical role in the continued economic health of our community,” said the Honourable Bernard Valcourt, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. “I am pleased that our Government will assist this mill to become more efficient. It is one more step in ensuring its long-term viability. Announcements such as this will help us sustain our economic recovery and generate prosperity in our regions.”

Combined, these projects are expected to generate enough renewable energy annually to heat more than 280 homes, while saving enough energy to heat an additional 1,100 homes. The greenhouse gas emissions of these mills will be reduced by nearly 2,800 tonnes annually — equivalent to the emissions produced by nearly 760 cars.

Source: Government of Canada

Howe Sound Pulp and Paper is notifying the town of Gibsons, British Columbia, that there is a chance they may catch a whiff of rotten eggs next week when the mill’s wood waste boiler undergoes updates.

The mill’s wood waste boiler will be receiving a $37 million upgrade that is scheduled to begin on May 31 and is expected to take 42 days to complete.

During the upgrade, the bottom one-third of the boiler will be removed and replaced with new advanced technology that uses a fluidized sand bed to burn waste bark. As well, a heat recovery device will be installed to capture heat in the boiler for use in other parts of the mill.

While the upgrades are being preformed, the gases that smell like rotten egss, that are normally incinerated in the boiler, will need to be released. The smell may be slightly offensive, but it is not a health concern.

The boiler upgrade is being funded by the federal Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program.

Read more:
Mill to start boiler upgrade (CoastReporter)

Fibrek‘s mill in Saint-Félicien, Quebec will be receiving $6.1 million from the Federal Government under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program.

This funding will allow Fibrek to install five electrical motors that will increase its green energy production capacity by approximately six megawatts. It is expected that this project will also help save enough energy to power over 1,700 homes.

“This timely help from the federal government is an incentive toward the completion of a very important project for Fibrek’s cogeneration facilities in Saint-Félicien,” said Pierre Gabriel Côté, President and CEO of Fibrek. “This project will allow us, not only to increase our leadership in the production of green energy, but also to improve our mill’s competitiveness.”

Fibrek is one of 24 pulp and paper companies across Canada that qualified for credits under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program. Fibrek has generated a total of $20.9 million in credits.

Source: Government of Canada

Smurfit-Stone will receive $24 million from the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to substantially improve the environmental performance of its mill in La Tuque, Quebec.

“Our Government’s top priority remains the economy,” said the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. “With the economic recovery still fragile, we will continue to take action to protect and create jobs in Canada, including the important forestry jobs in La Tuque.”

The project announced today will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by close to 80,000 tonnes annually — equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of almost 22,000 cars.

Source: Government of Canada

Tembec will receive $975,000 for its mill in Témiscaming, Quebec under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to substantially improve the environmental performance of the mill.

Despite signs of recovery in some segments of the forest sector, there remains a need to find new and more efficient ways of using wood, wood fibre and its byproducts. The project announced today is expected to generate enough renewable thermal energy to heat over 1,400 homes. It is also expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with reductions equivalent to the emissions of over 1,200 cars.

This initiative is part of the federal government’s plan to improve the environmental performance and competitiveness of Canada’s forest industry by focusing on innovation and new product development that will ultimately expand market opportunities for both traditional and novel Canadian wood, pulp and paper products.

“With this investment in Témiscaming, our Government is continuing to implement our plan that supports the transformation of Canada’s forest sector for the benefit of all Canadians,” said Minister Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources. “Our investments are supporting expansion of market opportunities for Canadian forest products, reducing our environmental footprint, improving the competitiveness of the forest industry and helping protect the jobs of the families who depend on our forest sector for their livelihood.”

Source: Government of Canada

Cascades‘ East Angus mill in Kingsey Falls, Quebec will receive $3.1 million under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to build a modern pulp recycling facility, substantially improving the environmental performance of the mill.

“The East Angus mill is one of the oldest in Canada, and the federal government’s support provides real help for upgrading the equipment, but most of all for maintaining quality jobs locally,” said Mario Plourde, Chief Operating Officer of Cascades.

Today’s project announcement is expected to save the mill nearly 600,000 gigajoules of energy a year — enough to power almost 14,000 homes.

Source: Government of Canada

Nanaimo Forest Products‘ Harmac Pacific Mill will receive $9 million under the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program for three capital improvement projects to substantially improve the environmental performance of the mill.

“As a company, we have nothing but good things to say about the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program,” said Levi Sampson, Director and President of Harmac Pulp Operations. “The program has allowed us to become more productive and efficient. Further to that, we have become more environmentally friendly — something that’s not only important us but also to the community we operate in.”

Today’s project announcement is expected to save over 25,000 gigajoules of energy per year — enough to power approximately 600 homes.

Source: Government of Canada