Sawmill closures in the region with consequences for pellet production © Drax Group
The company gives curtailments and closures of neighboring sawmills as reason for this step. West Fraser Timber, Vancouver/CA, had announced the permanent closure of its sawmill in 100 Mile House, which is located around 100 km from Williams Lake, by the end of this year. West Fraser also operates a sawmill in Williams Lake itself. Lumber production there had been permanently reduced by one shift already back in August 2022.
Drax’s pellet mill in Williams Lake has a production capacity of 230,000 t a year. 30 employees are affected by the closure. The mill was built in 2004 and has been part of the Drax Group since the takeover of Pinnacle Renewable Energy in 2021.
