Fortress Paper Ramps up Dissolving Pulp Production at Thurso Mill

Fortress Paper reports that it has ramped up dissolving pulp production at its specialty cellulose (dissolving pulp) mill in Thurso, Que., Canada. Fortress says the mill has averaged 92% of its targeted capacity during the past 10 days and has averaged approximately 83% over the past four weeks.

The mill, which has an annual production capacity of about 200,000 metric tpy, started production this past December.

"We are pleased with the ramp-up of dissolving pulp production at our Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill and the quality of the product," said Chad Wasilenkoff, CEO. "We expect our dissolving pulp segment to provide a meaningful contribution to our financial results as the year progresses,"

Following initial delays, the mill recently took scheduled periods of downtime to eliminate process constraints, which have proven successful and the ramp-up to full capacity continues to improve, Fortress said.

To boost its output of dissolving pulp, Fortress has already agreed to buy the assets of a non-operating pulp mill in Lebel-sur-Quevillon, Que.

TAPPI
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