PLAN OVERVIEW
The sector has spent the past few years investigating major capital investment opportunities that totalled $10 billion. The final project list only includes the most attractive projects that have a high probability of moving forward if fibre supply shortfalls are addressed.
Pulp mill infrastructure investment – in best-in-class (BAT) technology to ensure mills are cost competitive over the long-term and have the necessary infrastructure to support future strategic investment in value added products. This infrastructure investment is required PRIOR to pursuing value-added products, and in most cases, will move pulp mills well along the path towards achieving zero carbon emissions. Example: installation of a new best-in-class Recovery boiler. Total investment would be $500 million per mill and employ hundreds of construction workers over a 2-year period. The result would be a step change improvement in cost structure and significantly reduced carbon emissions
Value-added product investment – in two areas:
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fully converting printing & writing papers to packaging, tissue, and specialty papers. Full paper machine conversions will range between $400 -$600 million, employ hundreds of people during the 2-year construction phase and add up to 100 new full-time positions; and
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building new bio-product plants that will produce green energy and reduce the majority of the 1.4 million tonnes of GHG emissions currently emitted each year by BC pulp and paper mills[1] (such as syngas, RNG - renewable natural gas, lignin, and hydrogen). All four of these green bio-products can be utilized in the current pulp manufacturing process to replace natural gas and reduce carbon emissions, or processed further to produce green, organic fuels for sale in the open market as a replacement to petroleum-based fuels in combustion engines. Each project would range in capital cost between $50-$100 million, employ up to 100 people during the construction phase and create 30-50 new full-time positions.
