Northern Pulp Mill Ponders New Location

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster):  Does anywhere else in Nova Scotia want a pulp and paper mill?

Because if the court-ordered confidential talks between Northern Pulp and the provincial government don’t start bearing fruit, the owner of the Pictou County kraft pulp mill might be interested in talking.

“While the Petitioners remain committed to the mill (environmental assessment) process, and restarting the mill at the current site remains the preferred outcome, during the stay extension (Northern Pulp) may explore options for alternative mill sites as a potential option if restarting the mill at the current site is not feasible,” reads an affidavit filed by Carlo Dal Monte, vice-president of Northern Pulp parent company Paper Excellence Canada Holdings.

“To this end, the Petitioners may seek expressions of interest from communities in rural Nova Scotia. These explorations would not delay the mill (environmental assessment) process.”

The affidavit is part of an application to a British Columbia court to extend creditor protection for Northern Pulp from the existing April 30 deadline until the end of August.

 Last year, the same court ordered the provincial government and Northern Pulp to enter mediation under the guidance of former Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell to sort out their differences over the company’s $350-million proposal to restart its kraft pulp mill and its half-billion-dollar lawsuit against the province.

Those talks are confidential.

 Courtesy: www.saltwire.com