Blue Ridge Paper Products to convert coal-fired boilers to natural gas at Haywood County

Blue Ridge Paper Products, a subsidiary of Evergreen Packaging, has been awarded a Job Maintenance and Capital Development Fund Grant to be used to convert two of its coal-fired boilers to natural gas at its Haywood County plant. Funding for the JMAC grant was included in a bill with bi-partisan support signed by Governor Pat McCrory at the Western Residence in September. As a result, not only will 939 jobs be retained, but the plant will also be more energy efficient and operate cleaner. The remaining funds will be used to retrofit three additional boilers.

The North Carolina Economic Investment Committee (EIC) approved the grant. The company will receive up to $12 million over ten years to make the conversion.

Evergreen Packaging will invest $51 million.

“When I signed this bill in September at the Western Residence, I noted that it was intended to ensure job retention and help manufacturing companies move toward cleaner energy operations,” said Governor McCrory. “This JMAC grant is doing exactly that at Canton Mills. When the work is completed, Blue Ridge Paper Products will be operating more efficiently, and will have kept a significant number of high-paying, high-quality jobs.”