Old Town’s ND Paper Mill To Close Doors Amid Rising Fiber, Energy Costs
Old Town's ND Paper, will be closing up shop for an undetermined amount of time come April.
According to Jay Capron, Director of Communications and Government Affairs for ND Paper, they plan to keep the plant operational until mid-April, at which point the plant will shut down for a while.
"We will be taking extended downtime at our Old Town, ME mill due to the rising cost of fiber, along with energy costs and market conditions," Capron said in a statement. "Additionally, we will significantly reduce market pulp production at our Fairmont, WV mill due to current market conditions. The dry-pulping line at the Fairmont facility will continue to run."
Capron says the Old Town Division employs just under 200 full-time workers, but that ND has been trying to find spots for some of them at other ND facilities.
"We are working with our employees during this time and we have offered some of our employees positions at our Rumford mill, and other ND Paper locations."
According to ND's website, the Old Town mill has had quite a history, since it began as a sawmill in the 1860s.
"After merging with Diamond International in 1967, the mill was sold to the James River Corporation in 1983. Until 2015, the mill operated under several different ownership
structures including Fort James, Georgia Pacific, and, most recently, Expera Specialty Solutions, until the mill was ultimately idled in 2015. In October 2018, ND Paper purchased the Mill."
There's no indication yet as to how long this closure will last, but Capron says they will be keeping an eye on the market conditions with the hope to be able to reopen when they become more favorable.
"We look forward to continually evaluating when the conditions arise for a restart."