Northern Pulp mill could resume production by end of June
Mill trying to meet air pollution reductions demanded by the Nova Scotia government
The Northern Pulp mill in Pictou County will return to production by the end of the month, according to the company's communication manager.
- Northern Pulp to shut down to install air pollution equipment
- Northern Pulp wants province to loosen environmental conditions
The mill shut down on May 30 to install a ten-storey precipitator to meet air pollution reductions demanded by the Nova Scotia government.
Northern Pulp will install the equipment after a 15 day maintenance shutdown completes the work needed to connect the device to ductwork.
An extra 600 tradespeople have been brought in.
"We have approximately 200 workers assigned specifically to the precipitator installation and this will continue until the end of June with some working days and nights," said spokeswoman Kathy Cloutier.
"Northern Pulp will have the installation of the precipitator complete and will return to production toward the end of June."
The $22 million precipitator project has already had challenges.
The installation was delayed by a few weeks because of the winter. Then, the U.S. supplier Clyde Bergmann Group backed out of its contract to install the precipitaitor.
The pulp mill hired Lorneville Mechanical, a New Brunswick company that helped build the nuclear station at Point Lepreau, to complete the precipitator job.
Meanwhile, Northern Pulp is appealing the Nova Scotia Government industrial approval imposing new environmental standards including the air pollution reduction expected from the precipitator.