State set to establish SW eucalyptus-based pulp and paper industry

11/7/95

Western Australia is on course to establish a eucalypt-based pulp and paper industry in the South-West, according to Resources Development Minister Colin Barnett.

The Minister, in Canada to inspect a state-of-the-art pulp mill based on similar technology to the one proposed by Wesfarmers Bunnings, says he was impressed with the world-class technology and was confident a similar mill would be accepted in the South-West.

Mr Barnett said the environmentally sound process, used by the pulp mill operated by Canadian paper products company Millar Western, had four distinct advantages over other methods:

1.      It uses hydrogen peroxide in the bleaching process - which breaks down to basically oxygen and water, whereas the kraft mill process uses chlorine as a bleach.

2.      It is based on a 'closed-loop' system - which means that no pollutants leave the site.

3.      It uses far less trees to produce pulp - the Millar Western plant produces 85-90 tonnes of pulp for every 100 tonnes of wood fibre, as opposed to the kraft system, which produces only about 40 tonnes of pulp from the same amount of wood fibre.  In effect, the Millar Western process is more than twice as efficient.

4.      In water use, the Millar Western system uses one to two cubic metres of water (basically a bath-tub full) for every tonne of pulp, whereas the kraft system uses 75 cubic metres (about a lake-full) for every tonne of pulp. The water is also recycled in the process.

Mr Barnett said timber growing conditions offered in the South-West also provided WA with great advantages.

WA bluegums reached maturity within about 10 years, compared with Canadian Aspen, which took about 60 years to reach maturity.

"A mill of this type is extremely modern and clean and is based on the latest technology, which is geared towards the environment," the Minister said.

He said this system, coupled with favourable market trends, made WA a prime choice to site a pulp mill.

Mr Barnett said that after visiting the impressive Millar Western mill, the Government would be fully supportive of any arrangement to involve the company in the South-West development.

Wesfarmers Bunnings had completed pre-feasibility studies for a $400 million pulp mill to produce 350,000 tonnes of pulp per annum and generate more than $200 million in export income.

Wesfarmers Bunnings would examine the results of the pre-feasibility study during the next few weeks, before a decision would be made to move on to a detailed feasibility study.

Subject to favourable feasibility results, the Minister said construction of the South-West mill would begin in early 1997 and would be operational in 1999.

Media contact: Carolyn Vicars - 222 9699