Domtar’s Kingsport Mill made its entry into the containerboard market official on Friday with a groundbreaking ceremony held at Cloud Park in Kingsport, Tenn.
The event was led by Domtar’s CEO, John Williams, and featured a number of local, regional and state officials. “This is an exciting day for the Kingsport mill and for Domtar, and we are glad to celebrate it in the company of many of those who are making this transformation possible,” said Williams. “The kind of collaborative spirit we’ve seen among city, county and state partners here in Northeast Tennessee is what allows successful, long-term business partnerships to flourish.”
During the ceremony, Troy Wilson, Kingsport mill manager, presented Kingsport Mayor Pat Shull with a check for $500,000 for the city of Kingsport, a donation that will support the relocation of the Scott Adams Memorial Skate Park. The skate park’s move is part of a land swap agreement with the city that included the exchange of the 40-acre Cement Hill property for Cloud Park, which will be developed into a receiving area and scales for trucks delivering recyclable cardboard.
The paper-to-containerboard plant transformation represents a three-year, $300-million investment, with the plant expected to come online during the first quarter of 2023, a year that marks Domtar’s 175th anniversary. Once complete, the mill will house the second-largest containerboard recycling machine in North America, with the capacity to produce approximately 600,000 tons per year.
