Resolute Forest Products announce $270 million expansion at Calhoun mill

VANCOUVER (Scrap Monster): Resolute Forest Products (RFP) has decided to invest $270 million towards expansion works at its pulp and paper mill located in Calhoun, Tennessee. The investment is the largest by the company since 2010. The expansion is expected to create 105 new jobs in the region.

According to the company, it plans to build a new, state-of-the-art facility to manufacture premium bath tissue and towel, which will directly serve the local market. Construction of the tissue project plant is expected to commence during June this year. The new facility is expected to become operational by early-2017. The hiring of the project team is set to start soon.

This is the second major investment made at the mill during this year. Earlier, RPF had initiated $105 million expansion at the plant, which involved installation of 220-foot high pulp digester and new woo-chip processing equipment. The work is currently underway. This expansion will help the mill to produce new grades of specialty and commercial paper products.

Commenting on the expansion plan, Gov. Bill Haslam stated that Resolute Forest Products is one of McMinn County's largest employers. He further hoped that the jobs offered by expansion will make major impact in Calhoun and McMinn County. Haslam also thanked the company for their continued faith in the McMinn workforce. Tennessee Valley Authority too congratulated RFP on its recent announcement.

Resolute’s Calhoun mill, established in 1954 as one of the earliest newsprint mills in the southern United States, is located on the Hiwassee River in Calhoun, Tennessee. The paper mill is one of the largest in North America.

Resolute Forest Products is a global leader in the forest products industry with a diverse range of products, including newsprint, specialty papers, market pulp and wood products. The company owns or operates some 40 pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea, and power plants in Canada.