Fort St. James Sawmill Reported Steady Progress in Construction

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Hampton Lumber has announced significant progress on Fort St. James sawmill. The company had acquired the saw mill and associated forest license from Conifex Timber Inc. in November last year for approximately $39 million. The works are on track for a 2022 completion.

Steve Zika, CEO, Hampton Lumber denied rumours that the company is planning to delay the construction of the mill. He reiterated that the mill would be nearly two-thirds of the size of Babine mill. The successful model in Burns Lake will be copied to the mill in Fort St. James, he added.

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Immediately after the closing of acquisition, it had hired engineers to finalize the plan and design of the mill. The order for equipment is already given. Also, the company has selected primary contractors for electrical and mechanical jobs. The company has decided to engage the same contractors who were involved with the Babine mill construction.

The company has started demolishing parts of the old mill and has initiated sales of useful materials. It has started pouring some of the concrete foundations over the past two weeks. These activities are expected to continue until mid to late October or early-November. The significant construction works will commence sometime in early spring. There have been no delays due to Covid-19, it said.