Canfor's Intercon Mill Alters Product In Wake Of Explosion

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

One of the employees injured in a blast at Canfor's Intercontinental Pulp Mill is back on the job, the other is expected to return to work soon.

But Canfor's General Manager of Communications, Ted Perry, says the bleach plant where Wednesday's explosion occurred will remain shut down for the next couple of weeks. (click here for original story)

Perry says it will be some time before there's a definitive answer on what caused a bleaching vessel to rupture.  He says part of the investigation is complete, but it would be immature to speculate, at this point.  The mill is awaiting results on pieces of the tank that have been sent to a lab for metallurgical testing.

The Canfor spokesperson says a Worksafe BC investigator was part of the preliminary investigation, but there's been no word back yet on any findings with regards to employee safety aspects.

As for the impact on production at Intercon, Perry says the bleach plant will remain closed and, right now, the mill is producing "brown stock" or unbleached pulp. 

He admits there is a different market for unbleached pulp and says the company's marketing people are making adjustments, but says it's too early to ascertain the full financial implications.  Although, he says, he doesn't expect the costs to be significant in the long run.

Perry says it will take some time to procure replacement equipment, as it's not easy to come by and some pieces have to be custom-made, but he expects production should be back to normal in two weeks time.

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