Weyerhaeuser Company announced an agreement to sell its Cellulose Fibers pulp mills to International Paper for $2.2 billion in cash. Weyerhaeuser expects to use a substantial portion of the estimated $1.6 billion after-tax proceeds for repayment of term loans issued in conjunction with the company's previously announced $2.5 billion share repurchase program.
The transaction includes five pulp mills located in Columbus, Miss.; Flint River, Ga.; New Bern, N.C., Port Wentworth, Ga. and Grande Prairie, Alberta, with a combined total capacity of nearly 1.9 million metric tons. The sale also includes two modified fiber mills in Columbus, Miss. and Gdansk, Poland.
The announcement completes the first phase of the company's strategic review of the Cellulose Fibers business. The transaction with International Paper does not include Weyerhaeuser's liquid packaging board facility or newsprint and publishing papers joint-venture. Weyerhaeuser's review of those assets is ongoing.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory review and is expected to close in the 4Q 2016. The Weyerhaeuser pulp business and International Paper will continue to operate separately until the transaction closes.
Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest private owners of timberlands, began operations in 1900.
