Alberta Newsprint to Use Government Investment to Cut Energy, Water Use
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The Government of Canada this past week announced a $1.05-million investment at the Alberta Newsprint Co. mill in Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada. The mill will receive funding under Canada's Transformative Technologies Pilot Scale Demonstration Program to implement state-of-the-art technology that will result in substantial reductions in energy and fresh water consumption at the mill.
"The Government of Canada is investing in the evolution of our forest industry by encouraging the development and adoption of state-of-the-art Canadian technology," said Rob Merrifield, minister of state (Transport). "Innovative projects such as this one are essential to expanding and diversifying market opportunities both at home and abroad and to securing high-quality jobs in forest-dependent communities."
Other funding for the project includes a contribution of more than $1 million from the Alberta Newsprint Co. and an $80,000 investment by Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions.
"This technology will enable Alberta Newsprint to consume larger sawmill residual chip volumes of beetle-attacked pine and threatened green pine while simultaneously reducing our fresh water consumption from the Athabasca River," said Gary Smith, technical director, Alberta Newsprint. "The technology holds great promise for many pulp and paper producers. It provides for concentrating pitch-laden dark pulp fibers, enabling reductions in water usage, chemical usage, and energy savings. We expect to startup the equipment in early March."
As part of the strategic investments under the Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan, the Transformative Technologies Pilot Scale Demonstration Program is administered by FPInnovations and supports the development of new and emerging, highly transformative Canadian forest products and technologies.
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