PaperAge Magazine

McKinley Paper Targets Mid-January for Production Start at Port Angeles Mill in Washington

By Paul Gottlieb, Journalist, Peninsula Daily News

McKinley Paper Port Angeles mill in Washington McKinley Paper Co. purchased the Port Angeles (Washington) mill in April 2017 from Nippon Paper Industries USA for $20.6 million, including a biomass cogeneration electric plant that cost Nippon $91 million to build. Photo courtesy Peninsula Daily News.

Nov. 21, 2019 - McKinley Paper Co. is targeting mid-January for beginning production at its 99-year-old Ediz Hook plant with about 100 workers after nearly three years of industrial dormancy at the site and lost revenue for the city of Port Angeles.

If that time line holds, city government can expect once again to receive about $330,000 annually in utility and electricity fees — although city officials are not including the revenue in the proposed 2020 budget the City Council will discuss tonight at 6 p.m. at city hall.

General Manager Edward Bortz said Monday there is some doubt McKinley can be definite about a specific date in anticipating the plant will open in about eight weeks, but is confident it will happen around that time.

“We are trying to do it as fast as we can,” Bortz said.

“That's our best guess right now, but there are a lot of things we've got to pull together to hit that date.”

He said McKinley is still installing equipment.

“We're in an intensive construction phase,” Bortz said.

McKinley also continues to hire about 100 workers for processing recycled cardboard into heavyweight grades of paper and corrugated fluting for box liners.

“Even after we start, we'll still be hiring a few folks,” Bortz predicted.

The complete story is available on the Peninsula Daily News' website: www.peninsuladailynews.com/business/mckinley-sets-new-date-to-open-port-angeles-plant/.

SOURCE: Peninsula Daily News

EDITOR'S NOTE: It has been reported that McKinely Paper's Post Angeles, Washington mill intends to produce about 250,000 tons per year of 100% recycled containerboard when fully operational.