TASMANIA'S PULP MILL    

Modern Kraft Pulp Mill approved for Tasmania's Bell Bay Industrial Site

A modern pulp mill at Tasmania's Bell Bay  industrial site on the Tamar has been approved. This exciting project will  add significant value to wood chips currently destined for export .

The Parliament of Tasmania approved the permit conditions on 30 August 2007 . The then Federal Minister for the Environment Malcolm Turnbull signed off on Commonwealth environmental values on 4 October 2007.

Gunns Pulp mill development is set to add $6.7 billion to Tasmania's economy, creating and securing jobs. The  down stream processing a natural renewable resource in accordance with the conditions imposed by the State and Federal regulators will result in a win-win situation for Tasmania, Gunns Limited shareholders and the planet.

The modern mill will use best available technology to ensure its impact on the environment will be neutral, that its use of resources such as water and wood will be sustainable, and that permit conditions will ensure that adverse odour, particulate air pollution and toxic emissions will be absolutely minimised and within strict guidelines that protect human health workers and nearby communities surrounding this heavy industrial area.

With so much discussion and media coverage of the modern elemental chlorine free kraft pulp mill approved for the Tamar Valley, this site is intended to provide facts and details behind the headlines and an in depth  look at some of the claims being made about the pulp mill that continue to be reported in the media.

As the pulp mill has been approved by both the Federal Government and the State Parliament it is not intended that the site convince the reader to be pro-mill or anti - mill but to provide a balance of information and resources to allow the reader to either make up their own minds or to provide a pathway to find out more about the mill to be able to make an informed opinion on what this approval means to them.

This site provides the detail behind the 30 second news grab and allows for follow up.

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Myths about Mill still need busting!

Despite five years of public scrutiny, a raft of reports, media examination and community debate, myths about the pulp mill are still circulating locally and throughout the world.

In Austria , in the first week of June 2009, Greenpeace held an anti pulp mill protest that targeted European banks and equipment manufacturer Andritz and its workers and their families. But their web site (Google English translation) and a handout failed to tell the truth that the pulp mill would be plantation based, Elemental Chlorine Free kraft pulp mill complying with international best practice.

An analysis of the mythical claims compared to the facts can be downloaded (right click to save) , all available from published information available on the internet.  It makes you wonder why Greenpeace failed to check the facts before their media stunt.

Let’s not miss the opportunity to further add value to woodchips currently being exported. Nor the opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint by creating local jobs in Tasmania not shipping them off shore.

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Progress on Pulp Mill Company reported

Gunns Limited announced more progress in securing equity partners in the approved value adding pulp mill on 11 June 2010. Three potential equity participants in Southern Star Corporation  (the new pulp mill company) have progressed to detailed due diligence having lodged indications of the level of equity they may be prepared to subscribe.  New chairman Chris Newman stated he would provide a further update to the ASX when progress is more definite.

Chris takes over as Chairman following the retirement of John Gay. It was under John’s leadership that the company acquired the forest assets of both North Forest Products and Boral in Tasmania and in doing so vowed to be more than just an eport woodchipper but to provide value adding wealth creation and employment based on the sustainable management of the State’s renewable forest resource.

Part of his vision was the development of a bleached Kraft pulp mill in the Bell Bay Major Industrial Zone that will process 4 million green tonnes of pulp wood into about 1,00,000 air dried tonnes of pulp.

At the time of initiating the project Mr Gay said the pulp mill proposal represented the largest-ever investment by the private sector in Tasmania and the largest-ever investment within the forestry sector in Australia.

“We have worked with the world’s top engineers to design the mill, we contracted Australia’s best toxicologists to analyse any environmental effects, we engaged a leading university to model economic impacts and we have employed international pulp experts to join the Gunns team on a permanent basis” he said.

“The mill design represents world’s best practice in achieving the best environmental outcomes.” John concluded.

It should be remembered that the Monash University’s Centre for Policy Studies concluded in its complex computer equilibrium modelling that a pulp mill in Tasmania will:

•  Add $6.7 billion (+2.5%) to the Tasmanian economy;

• Generate almost $894 million in extra tax revenue between 2008-2030;

• Add $1.5 billion to the Gross State Product during construction;

• Additional $39 million annual expenditure by construction workforce in northern

• Tasmania; and

• Generate 3400 more jobs during construction and more than 1600 once operational.

Once the mill is operational John Gay’s vision will be vindicated.