Norbord High Level OSB Mill to Curtail Operations Due to Wildfire

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Norbord Inc. announced that it has temporarily suspended production at its Oriented Strand Board (OSB) mill in High Level, Alberta due to wildfires in the nearby region.

This is the second time the mill has been forced to suspend operations due to wild fires. Earlier in May this year, it had declared production halt at the mill in order to comply with the evacuation order. That time, the company reported that the curtailment is unlikely to have material impact on its Q2 results.

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According to company press release, all non-essential mill employees have been safely evacuated from the mill site and no injuries have been reported so far. It confirmed that the mill was secure at the time of evacuation and there exists no immediate threat to the facility. However, the impact of the production curtailment is yet to be assessed. The evacuation was in compliance with an evacuation order in Mackenzie County on account of wild fires. Further, it expects an evacuation order for the town of High Level.

Last week, Norbord had announced plans to indefinitely suspend operations at its oriented strand board (OSB) mill in 100 Mile House in B.C. central interior, effective August this year, mainly due to wood supply shortage and high wood prices.

The High Level, Alberta mill, located around 720 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, has an estimated production capacity of approximately 860 million square feet per annum.

Norbord Inc. is the world’s largest producer of OSB, employing nearly 2,700 people at 17 plants across the U.S., Canada and Europe.