Arterran is currently in talks to buy the Port Alice pulp mill.
This comes after the biofuel company inked a one year, one dollar lease with Neucel, the current owners back in August. The North Island Gazette is reporting Arterran is also filing the final paperwork for a federal grant.
Arterran wants to use the pulp mill to make wood fibre pellets that can be burned instead of coal on an industrial level. According to the report Arterran needs the grant to set up a demonstration plant that will make pellets for various customers around the world to test. It also needs to have a deal in place to buy the facility from Neucel before it can start production.
Arterran’s Director of Business Development, David Tiessen told the Gazette that he can’t put an exact start date on production, but is guessing the second quarter of 2020.