Kruger Announces $700 Million Project Tuckamore Mill Revitalization

Kruger Inc. announced Project Tuckamore, a $700 million private investment to revitalize the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill in Newfoundland and Labrador. The initiative aims to transform the facility into an integrated energy and industrial hub to counter declining global newsprint demand. The plan involves transitioning production to use wood chips and residuals from sawmills rather than raw logs, reducing operations from two paper machines to one, and increasing annual sawlog production from 155,000 to 515,000 cubic metres.

To achieve a fully renewable energy footprint, the company will construct a 155-megawatt wind farm with 17 to 22 turbines and modernize hydroelectric facilities at Deer Lake and Watson's Brook. The project is expected to create 575 construction jobs and protect 1,000 direct and indirect jobs. Completion is targeted for 2030, with wind farm construction slated for August 2027.

Financially, the investment provides a framework for Kruger to repay a $110-million public loan to the provincial government, for which payments had ceased after 2019. The company opened a Community Engagement Office in Corner Brook on July 15 and intends to register the project for provincial environmental assessments in July 2026. Mayor Linda Chaisson expressed support for the plan, stating it would secure the city and surrounding areas.