Despite media reports that a proposal for a wood pellet plant in Grand Falls-Windsor (Newfoundland & Labrador) had been abandoned, that's not the case, according to Shawn Skinner, the Minister for Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.
"Nothing has been written off or eliminated," said a spokesperson for Minister Skinner's office this week (July 29).
The minister, who had been visiting Grand Falls-Windsor earlier this month (July) with other government ministers, had acknowledged the rumours related to a wood pellet manufacturer interested in setting up operations in the area were true.
Government has received a proposal, but has yet to receive a business plan from the interested party.
Minister Skinner told the Advertiser in an earlier interview that jobs in a wood pellet operation would pale in comparison to the wood fibre required to supply such an operation and questioned if it would be the best use of the resource.
"It is not something we are confident that will happen just yet," he said. "If there is something we could marry that with, some secondary processing or saw logs, then that would build an industry," he said.
He also said any company interested in using local wood fibre would have to use it in central Newfoundland. A principle of adjacency would have to be invoked, he said.
Minister Skinner added in the case of any business with an idea to use the mill, wood fibre and hydro assets as well as the human resources available, government would be willing to put all of that in a package if it benefits the province and the people of the region.
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