Georgia-Pacific Invests $800M to Build the U.S.A’s Largest Pulp Mill

Georgia-Pacific will invest $800 million to modernise and expand its Alabama River Cellulose mill. Once operational, that facility will become the largest and most advanced softwood pulp plant in the United States.

 

The two-year project is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025, with completion anticipated for 2027. Georgia-Pacific expects to boost daily production by about 300 tons, elevating annual output to nearly one million tons of fluff and market pulp.

 

“Since acquiring the mill in 2010, we’ve invested more than $700 million here,” said Munir Abdallah, president of GP Cellulose. “This new commitment takes our total investment past $1.5 billion and positions us to meet growing demand in both established and emerging markets.”

 

Key upgrades include a state-of-the-art digester, a high-capacity pulp dryer and a more efficient power boiler. The project will also overhaul the brown stock washing and recausticizing systems, the recovery boiler, evaporators, and lime kiln to streamline operations and reduce energy consumption.

 

Alongside the capacity gains, Georgia-Pacific is targeting significant environmental benefits. Improvements in water treatment and biomass recovery are designed to reduce water consumption, minimise particulate emissions, enhance wastewater processing, and capture byproducts for energy generation.

 

GP Cellulose, headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, operates multiple mills across the southeastern U.S. and maintains sales offices in Switzerland, the United States, Uruguay and Hong Kong.

 

Source: Wood Central