No pulp mill decision

Press, 2 June 1981, Page 22

No pulp mill decision

N.Z. Forest Products, Ltd, has made no decision on beginning its proposed $l5O million pulp and paper project at Marsden Point, according to the managing director, Mr D. O. Walker. News reports that the company intends to delay construction of the plant for at least a year were wrong, he said. The company was considering the pros and cons of delaying start-up for a number of reasons. But in consultation with its Japanese associates and overseas advisers, studies on the matter would not be completed until the end of the year. No decisions would be made until after the studies

are finished, he said. Three major areas were under review, which affect the plant's future. The first was wood supply, which looks like being better in 1986 than 1985, the initial target date. Secondly, the company must take into account availability of human resources to build the plant. Many energy-related projects around the country will be using large amounts of skill and human resources in the first half of the 1980 s. The company would require sufficient resources in the threeyear construction time. The third area for consideration is markets for the plant’s output. The company must take account of future

' demand and the effect that other new pulp and paper mills, currently being built, would have at the time, Mr Walker said. It was not correct to say that N.Z.F.P. is not interested in forests of the far north. “The annual quantity of wood being offered by the Forest Service is 50,000 cu m. We have advised them we are unable to use that wood this year or next year. “But we are certainly interested in Aupori forest ■wood in the long term, and we are pleased to see that Northern Pulp, Ltd, is interested in using the 50,000 cu m of Aupori wood thinnings, rather than see it go to waste,” Mr Walker said.