CATAWBA, NC—One worker died and another was injured Tuesday following an incident at Resolute Forest Products, a former AbitibiBowater plant, the Rock Hill Herald reported. The two victims were part of a contracted three-man crew who were cleaning a 10x40-ft. fume tank in the plant's power generation area.
AbitibiBowater has been taking action to help combat climate change for several years. Since 2000, the company has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent per ton. The progress to date can be attributed to a company-wide focus on improved efficiency and to switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. In 2008, AbitibiBowater was 46 percent self-sufficient from renewable sources for its total energy needs. A new biomass boiler at the Fort Frances, Ontario, mill produces 46 MW of “green” electricity. In fact, 66 percent of the fuel used in the company’s boilers is supplied by carbon-neutral biomass such as sawdust and wood residues.
AbitibiBowater plans to permanently close four paper mills and suspend operations at others. These actions will reportedly result in the loss of about 2,600 jobs as the company vies to save $375 million by 2009. The move by the newly formed company—created by the merger of Abitibi-Consolidated and Bowater Inc.—will lower its newsprint and commercial printing paper production capacity by about one million metric tons annually. Three of the mills to be permanently closed are located in Canada: Shawinigan, Quebec; Dalhoisie, New Brunswick; and Thunder Bay, Ontario. The fourth is in Lufkin, TX. Production is being halted indefinitely at mills in Donnacona, Quebec; and Mackenzie, British Columbia.
