Domtar to Indefinitely Idle Its Espanola, Ontario, Pulp and Paper Mill

Domtar Corporation, a provider of a wide variety of fiber-based products, and a part of the Paper Excellence Group, announced on Wednesday (9-6-23) that it will be indefinitely (for a period greater than one year) idling its pulp and paper operations located in Espanola, Ontario, Canada.

According to the press release, the mill is being idled after years of ongoing operating losses and high costs associated with maintaining and operating the facility. Attempts to sell the facility to other producers have been unsuccessful.

The pulp mill is scheduled to shut down in early October, and the paper machines will be shut down by early November.

The decision to idle Espanola will result in a reduction in Domtar’s annual pulp production by approximately 280,000 air-dried metric tons of northern bleached softwood kraft pulp and approximately 69,000 tons of specialty paper. The idling of the plant is expected to impact 450 employees.