PaperAge Magazine

ND Paper Nearing Restart of Old Town Pulp Mill in Maine

Old Town, Maine, pulp mill aerial When fully operational, ND Paper expects the Old Town mill to produce 275,000 air-dried metric tons per year of unbleached kraft pulp

Aug. 1, 2019 - According to a local news report, ND Paper is close to restarting pulp production at the Old Town mill in Maine.

The Bangor Daily News reported that the company has hired 130 workers and expects the reopened facility will begin producing pulp this month.

The Old Town mill was idled back in the fourth quarter of 2015 by then owner Expera Specialty Solutions. In October of 2018, ND Paper bought the kraft pulp mill from OTM Holdings, LLC.

Since then, the company has been restarting systems at the plant, which it says will eventually produce 275,000 air-dried metric tons per year of unbleached kraft pulp.

There have also been about 300 contracted workers on the site, as well as employees from ND Paper's mill in Rumford who have been guiding the restart, according to company spokeswoman Amy Lee.

“There's quite a lot of activity at the mill — a big change from a few months ago when there were only a few dozen ND Paper employees on-site,” Lee said. “We are working around the clock to ensure the mill is fined-tuned for a safe restart and on-track to move into commercial pulp production this month.”

ND paper plans to hold a grand reopening ceremony for the Old Town mill Aug. 13.

SOURCE: Bangor Daily News