Kawerau mill future uncertainFriday 16 Oct 2020
The review is the latest to put the future of one of New Zealand's most energy-intensive industries on the line. The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, NZ Steel's Glenbrook mill and the Refining NZ oil refinery are all currently going through similar reviews. James Hardie’s Penrose building products factory is also facing a review. The impact of covid-19 on demand for newsprint was cited as the primary reason for a review that has been announced just a week before the Oct. 17 general election. “Norske Skog has announced to employees and stakeholders in New Zealand that, due to the likely irreversible and rapid negative impact that covid-19 has had on the newsprint industry in the region, the group has engaged in a broad process to identify alternative production options to reposition the Tasman newsprint mill at Kawerau industrial site in New Zealand,” the company said in a statement to the Oslo Stock Exchange. The mill typically employs 170 staff and contractors, producing 150,000 tonnes a year. Norske Skog said it’s considering several options for the long-term future of the site and will start consulting with staff when it has a preference. Among possible uses being considered is a bleached chemical thermo-mechanical facility at the site. The mill was already unprofitable heading into the pandemic, reporting a loss of NZ$20.4 million in calendar 2019, including a NZ$31.5 million impairment charge on the value of its factory. Its gross profit dropped 27 percent to NZ$36 million. Source: BusinessDesk  | ||
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