Mercer Peace River submitted a letter to be read at the Town of Peace River council meeting being held this evening (August 23, 2021). The letter announces a new major project further improving environmental performance at the pulp mill by majorly reducing emissions. Below is the letter sent to town council.
“On behalf of Mercer International Inc., we would like to announce Mercer Peace River Pulp’s Fibre Procurement Project (the “Project”). This Project will transform our fibre procurement process,
improving our environmental performance and creating a more sustainable business model. Mercer acknowledges the importance of continuous investment and constantly seeks opportunities
that align with our value of sustainability and the need to remain globally competitive. This Project emerged after determining wood costs as a materially competitive issue for the mill, resulting in the
desire to transform our current hardwood procurement process into one that is more streamlined
and efficient with long-term environmental benefits.
What is MPR’s Fibre Procurement Project?
This Project will transition our hardwood fibre procurement process from our current method of off-site aspen chipping to an on-site centralized chipping model. Logs will now be cut to length and
transported to the mill on larger, more efficient 10-axle trucks. The logs will be processed in a redeveloped state-of-the-art woodroom, equipped with some of the most innovative debarking,
chipping, and monitoring technologies.
Why is MPR Making this Change?
The desire to make this change is multifaceted. MPR will significantly lower its carbon footprint through the reduction of fossil fuel emissions and retention of more forest carbon stocks. It is
projected that through this investment by 2050, MPR will have reduced fossil fuel emissions by over 900,000 tonnes of CO2e and sequester 2.6 million tonnes of CO2e through forest conservation. This Project creates an innovative solution to make significant, cost-effective greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions reductions. This will be achieved by:
● replacing diesel-powered debarkers/chippers with electrical machines powered by the mill’s
biogenic green energy
● implementing a more efficient transportation system
● decreasing fibre handling, and
● improving hog fuel quality, which reduces natural gas consumption.
Additionally, the new state-of-the-art woodroom will allow for greater utilization of hardwood trees and optimization of the pulping process, resulting in the need for fewer fibre resources, a reduction of
approximately 500,000 trees annually, to meet pulp production goals.
By way of this project, we will not only experience environmental and operational advancements but will further stabilize the economy. Through the 2021 construction phase, this project will create
short-term job opportunities. Additionally, with completion of the project, it will ensure future job protection for the current 1,000 direct and indirect jobs that MPR provides, while also creating new
long-term career options for our local community members.
At Mercer, we are continuously seeking innovative, sustainable solutions for the future. We look forward to sharing our successes with our team members, stakeholders, and communities. Together,
we will remain sustainable – protecting jobs, contributing to the local economies, and continuing to manage resources efficiently. “
-Calvin Hector, Trending 55 Newsroom
