Brant forms White Birch Paper Company

Industry veteran Peter M. Brant announced on April 13 the formation of White Birch Paper Company and the closing of a related transaction that brought three leading newsprint mills under the company’s ownership.

White Birch now owns the Bear Island mill in Ashland, VA, and two mills in Quebec, Canada: the Soucy mill in Riviere-du-Loup; the Stadacona mill in Quebec City. The mills were previously owned by entities affiliated with Brant.

In connection with the closing, the company acquired the interests of several long-standing partners, including Joseph Allen, Mr. Brant’s partner of more than 30 years. On April 8, a Reuters report said that Dow Jones & Co. had sold its 39.9% minority in F.F. Soucy Inc. for $40 million cash.

The mills will produce over one million tons of newsprint, directory paper and paperboard in addition to lumber and related products. Its customer base is major newspaper publishers and commercial printers in North America, South America and Europe.

The company’s owners are Peter Brant, Michael Fuchs and Aby Rosen.

• Earlier, Stadacona Inc., the newsprint mill in the heart of Quebec City, announced a $C44-million upgrade.

Bought last year from Enron by Brant, the mill will spend $C26 million to convert the No. 3 boiler to burn biomass and operate more efficiently, with a 75% saving in oil consumption and an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Upgrades on No. 4
paper machine will cost about $C10 million and new information and automation systems will cost about $C8 million. PI

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