Nippon Paper to Sell Port Angeles, Wash., Mill, Co-Gen Plant

Nippon Paper Industries USA (NPI), Port Angeles, Wash., USA, reports that its Port Angeles pulp and paper mill and its newly built biomass cogeneration plant are being marketed for sale by PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance LLC in southwest British Columbia. There is no sign the mill, which employed 160 as of June 2015, would be closed, said City Manager Dan McKeen in a report by the area-based Peninsula Daily News.

Port Executive Director Karen Goschen noted in the newspaper report that "we are working with our client (Nippon Paper – Japan) on running a formal sale process for the pulp and paper mill and co-gen facility located adjacent to the Port Angeles Harbor. We wanted to make you aware of our sale process as we believe the Port of Port Angeles may be interested in acquiring this key piece of property as part of our sale process."

 

 

The Port Angeles fully-integrated mill, located in Northwest Washington State, produces some 325 tpd of lightweight printing and specialty papers. It employs nearly 200 employees and has been in continuous operation since 1920.

The paper mill operates one paper machine originally installed in the 1920s. Very little of the original paper machine survives today as there has been a steady stream of investment and improvement over the decades. During the mill’s 90-plus years of operation, the paper machine has been improved with a new stock prep system, a new headbox, conversion to twin wire forming, a new press section, new dryers, and a new winder. Today the paper machine runs well in excess of 3,000 fpm, with basis weights as low as 16 lb.

The mill originally started up with stone groundwood in 1920. In the 1970s it installed a new refiner mechanical pulp mill and the groundwood mill was permanently shutdown. Since that time, the refiner mill has seen steady improvements with new screening and cleaning systems installed on all three lines, new motors, new refiners, and specific refiner energy control added to reduce energy and improve quality.

NPI USA installed a recycled deinked pulp mill in the early 1990s. The mill produces more than 200 tpd of high quality recycled pulp for use by the paper machine. The mill uses multiple types of recycled paper for fiber supply. The DIP pulp mill has also received improvements to help maintain pulp quality, as the fiber supply has continued to degrade in quantity and quality. The latest improvements were completed in 2015 when a new pulper was installed along with cleaner and screen improvements.

The mill originally started up in 1920 with several small coal and oil boilers, which were operated for many years. In the 1950s its largest boiler was converted to oil and biomass which continues to run today. During the last 10 years, the mill has eliminated nearly 98% of all oil fuels and runs primarily on biomass fuel.

In 2010 NPI USA began replacement of the current boiler with a co-generation boiler featuring a new boiler, biomass feed system, turbine, generator, and advanced air and water pollution control equipment. The plant became operational during 2015 and supplies steam and hot water to the pulp and paper mills, while generating more than 20 MW of renewable electricity per hour. This investment represents the single largest investment in the facility at an installed cost of more than $86 million dollars.