Fortress Paper Ltd.

Magna Exteriors, a Canadian auto parts maker, has partnered with the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE) to investigate the viability of integrating wood fibre in plastic auto parts. “Currently, Magna moulds a number of components and sub-systems using long glass filled polypropylene (LGFPP) for global automotive manufacturers,” reported Pulp and Paper Canada. “In certain applications glass fibre can be substitu...

An army facility in New York will undergo a conversion from coal-fired power to biomass power as part of a project conceived to help the US Department of Defense meet renewable energy initiatives. Last month ReEnergy Holdings LLC purchased the idled 60MW coal-fired facility at Fort Drum announcing an investment of $34 million to upgrade the plant. The facility has since been renamed ReEnergy Black River and is set to begin its operations in 20...

Fortress Paper Ltd. ("Fortress Paper" or the "Corporation") (TSX:FTP) announces that the parties to the purchase agreement for the previously announced acquisition of the non-operating pulp mill located at Lebel-sur-Quevillon, Quebec from Domtar Inc. have agreed to an extension to the closing date. Fortress Paper continues to work diligently with the other parties to satisfy all the conditions precedent to closing, and the transaction is expected...

A report issued by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicts that India’s cotton output is likely to drop by over two million bales this year. "Cotton production is forecast to decrease by two million bales to 32.3 million bales as area is expected to drop by 10 per cent,” the USDA report said. India, the world's second biggest cotton grower, had produced a record 34.25 million bales in the 2011-12 marketing year. One bales conta...

A soon-to-be re-opened pulp mill in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan is on track to start generating power from their cogeneration facility by the end of May. “May 15 we’ll fire up and do a lot of check outs and by May 27th we’ll synchronize with the Saskatchewan power grid,” said Dave Patterson, the mill’s general manager. The plant is expected to be producing and selling 10 megawatts of power to the province’s grid once everything ...

In the 2012 budget unveiled last week in Ottawa, Canada’s federal government detailed plans to continue support for forestry innovation projects across the country. The budget earmarked $105 million over two years for market development and forestry innovation – an effort applauded by groups such as FPInnovations and the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC). “The 2012 federal budget renews a partnership that has delivered valu...

A new report issued by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) says more than one out of every 10 cotton acres in the country will be lost to other crops this year. The USDA’s “Prospective Planning” Report released March 30 forecasts cotton acreage to drop to 13.155 million acres, down 11 percent from last year’s total. The report also says products such as corn, soybeans, peanuts, and wheat will take hold of the acreage left behind by...

Pulp and paper producer Tembec Inc. announced this week they would invest $190 million to upgrade their specialty cellulose plant in Temiscaming, Quebec. The upgrade will replace three old boilers with a new high-pressure boiler that is designed to burn the waste byproduct of the cellulose manufacturing plant. The change will not only increase the mill’s overall capacity by 5,000 metric tonnes but will also create a new co-generation faci...

As more and more traditional pulp production facilities shut their doors across Canada, one industry insider says the keys to the sector’s survival are “innovation and investment.” In an interview with The Sault Star, Glenn Clifford, who was worked in the Canadian pulp and paper industry for nearly thirty years, cited competitive labour rates on the global stage, concessions, a stronger Canadian dollar, rising hydro rates, shrinking prof...

Two months after the US Department of Energy awarded Ameresco Inc. $795 million to finance the country’s largest biomass cogeneration plant, production began at the South Carolina facility this week. The Savannah River Site Biomass Cogeneration facility will convert biomass to power, turning 385,000 tons of forest residue into 20 megawatts of energy each year. That energy will be used to provide 30 per cent of the electricity needs for the...