Lumber giant Canfor Corp. has approved a major upgrade for its PolarBoard mill in Fort Nelson.
The Vancouver company said it will spend $25.6 million to expand and modernize its oriented strand board (OSB) operation at Fort Nelson, installing two new larger-capacity dryers, additional emission-control equipment and improvements in the log-handling area of the northeastern B.C. mill.
The moves will raise production capacity at the mill by 21.5 per cent to 650 million square feet a year from 535 million, as well as cutting conversion costs by four per cent and emissions by 21 per cent.
The modernization project is expected to be completed by next May.
“This investment reflects Canfor’s priority on high-return capital projects that fit our overall strategy to enhance the productivity of our mills and lower our conversion costs,” said Jim Shepherd, Canfor’s president and CEO.
Canfor (CFP-TSX) is an integrated forest products company with operations and mills in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec, and a lumber remanufacturing plant in Washington.
The company is a major producer and supplier of lumber, bleached kraft pulp, specialty kraft paper, plywood, and OSB for markets around the world.
