Boiler upgrade nears completion

Aug. 12, 2011, Port Mellon, BC – Howe Sound
Pulp and Paper Corporation (HSPP) is in the final stages of completing the
upgrade of its wood waste boiler under the facility’s $37 million federal Green
Transformation Program award. Since late May, the mill has focused on the replacement
of the bottom half of the furnace with advanced technology that uses a
fluidized sand bed to burn waste bark. This project improves the boiler’s
reliability, combustion efficiency, and fuel handling capacity while reducing
emissions.

HSPP president and CEO Mac Palmiere says,
“We’re delighted to be finishing the project and the challenges of such
significant work. The boiler will be cleaner, more efficient and more reliable.
It plays a pivotal role in our generation of new green power for all British
Columbians through our connection to the grid.”

Improved energy generation from the refurbished
boiler combined with internal power reductions will result in an additional 400
GWh of renewable power, enough for 36,000 homes. The refurbished boiler will
reduce natural gas consumption by 6.5 million cubic metres/year, reducing the
mill's greenhouse gas emissions by 12,000 tonnes

During the project, the low concentration
portion of the Kraft mill’s odourous gases, which are normally incinerated,
have been vented. HSPP has implemented additional procedures to monitor and
react to continuous ambient air quality measurements made in Langdale. “We
sincerely appreciate our neighbours’ patience with the additional traffic,
activity, and odour,” says Palmiere. “They certainly deserve part of the recognition
for the project’s success.”