Resolute Forest Products yesterday officially inaugurated a major power island producing green energy at its pulp and paper operation located in Thunder Bay, Ontario (Canada). The power island includes a refurbished and upgraded woodwaste boiler and a new 65-megawatt condensing turbine.
Approved by Resolute in early 2011, the C$65 million project took just over 21 months to complete.
"The power island is a strategic addition to Resolute's Thunder Bay facility," stated Richard Garneau, President and CEO. "It will reduce the mill's energy costs as well as maximize our local woodlands, sawmill, pulp and paper, and energy operations by fully utilizing forest-based biomass to produce green electricity."
The green power produced will be sold to the Ontario grid under a power purchase agreement between Resolute and the Ontario Power Authority, Resolute said. Although he could not attend the inauguration, the Honourable David Orazietti, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, sent a statement to mark the occasion: "The investment by Resolute in its turbine at Thunder Bay is a key commitment by the company to support the future viability of the Thunder Bay pulp and paper operation. I am pleased to see that the government's offer of access to additional wood supply through the 2010 wood supply competition has helped support Resolute's investment in its turbine, and that this government provided C$9.6 million towards this important green energy project that is integral to Resolute's pulp and paper complex in Thunder Bay."
