Resolute Considers Repositioning of Fort Francis Mill
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Resolute Forest Products, Montreal, Que., Canada, might be in a position to decide what it will do with its Fort Frances, Ont., mill later this spring, according to a report this week by the Times Online, an Internet news publication of the Fort Frances Times newspaper. During a conference call last week, coinciding with the announcement of Resolute's preliminary fourth quarter and 2012 results, Resolute president and CEO Richard Garneau said the company currently is looking to reposition the mill in Fort Francis.
An investigation is underway as to what kinds of grades the company can use, Garneau noted. "In two, three, four months, we should be in a position to determine what the future of the mill is going to look like," Garneau said during the conference call. "We're certainly optimistic that we can reposition the mill," he added. "There's a good fiber base, as you know.
"There is a large co-gen—45 MWt—that we are now running at probably two-thirds of its capacity," Garneau continued, adding that he thinks the local mill has advantages going for it that the company can utilize. "But we have to find the right niche and also find a way not to spend too much money to convert it," he stressed.
Resolute indefinitely closed the kraft mill and PM 5 at Fort Frances this past November, affecting some 235 employees. The kraft mill had an annual production capacity of approximately 200,000 metric tons of market pulp, while PM 5 had an annual capacity of 105,000 metric tons of groundwood specialty printing papers. At that time, the company said that it would be exploring alternative product possibilities for its Fort Frances pulp mill, which was idled in a manner that would protect the equipment.
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