By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
NASHVILLE PLANTATION, Maine — Upgrades are under way and hiring has begun at J.D. Irving’s new state-of-the-art softwood sawmill in Nashville Plantation, located between Ashland and Portage off Route 11. “Modernization of the new Ashland (sic) sawmill is progressing well, with the help of many local contractors in Aroostook County. There are about 50 workers on the site as part of a $30 million modernization to re-open the mill in June 2014,” said Mary Keith, vice president of communications for J.D. Irving Ltd.
Keith said J.D. Irving Ltd. is handling general project management, with several Maine-based companies hired for specific jobs.
“Cianbro will install the sawmill equipment and handle installations in the boiler plant. Buck Construction has been hired to do the boiler and kiln foundation work. PNM Construction will do the drop sorter and miscellaneous concrete work. Underwood Electric will take care of electrical demos and electrical installation at the boiler plant. K-Pel will take care of miscellaneous mechanical demolition and site reconditioning,” Keith said.
Thanks to a grant from Efficiency Maine, J.D. Irving will install energy-efficient lighting and air compressors as part of its redevelopment of the sawmill and lumber finishing operation. The upgrades will save the company an estimated $82,000 per year in energy costs.
With incentives from EM’s Large Customer Program, Irving will replace existing linear fluorescent lights and metal halide fixtures with more energy-efficient high-performance lights and LED lights. Irving will also undertake a new compressed air project, including installation of a new cycling refrigerated air dryer and compressor controls.
“The total cost of the project is estimated at about $440,000, with annual savings projected to be nearly 909,000 kilowatt hours per year, or roughly the amount of energy used to power 140 Maine homes. In addition to the annual savings, the efficiency measures will reduce the need for energy during peak demand by 14.15 kilowatts,” said Paul Badeau, EM’s director of communications.
Irving officials are dedicated to creating a cost-effective facility while creating much-needed jobs in the region.
“Irving Forest Products is committed to a major investment in northern Maine and with this incentive from Efficiency Maine, we are able to expand in the most efficient way possible,” said Guy Gingras, electrical engineer, at Irving. “Without these incentives, the company would not have been able to include these projects in the upgrade and would have been forced to proceed with the existing lighting and a less-than-optimal air compressor system.”
The project qualifies for an EM incentive in the amount of $181,761, which improves the project’s expected net payback to just over three years.
“J.D. Irving has made significant investments in energy-efficient equipment over the years, including two other projects with EM at its Dixfield mill: a back-pressure turbine installation and a kiln optimization project,” said Badeau.
EM’s Large Customer Program provides an opportunity for Maine businesses, institutions and governments to compete for funding for large electrical energy efficiency and distributed generation projects.
“The focus of the program is to leverage private investment to achieve significant electrical savings and to stimulate economic growth in Maine. Funding levels range from a minimum of $100,000 to a maximum of $750,000 per facility — up to 50 percent of the total project costs,” said Badeau.
These grants, according to Badeau, are targeted at many of the biggest energy consumers in the state — those using more than 400 kW.
Ian Burnes, manager of the Large Customer Program, said companies benefit greatly from participating.
“Irving has been moving forward with a very aggressive construction plan on the new facility. We are delighted that we were able to offer them assistance at the right time in the process for them to include the very best equipment from the beginning,” said Burnes. “We’ve had numerous program participants tell us that if it weren’t for these incentives, either the company would have purchased cheaper, less-efficient equipment, or continued with business as usual.”
Burnes said the trust is now accepting applications for a new round of LCP funding through a recent Large Customer Program Opportunity Notice. To direct questions to the trust or for more information, call 866-376-2463 or visit www.efficiencymaine.com.
With lighting and equipment upgrades nearing completion, Irving officials have begun the process of hiring staff for the sawmill.
“There are seven permanent sawmill employees hired to date. We are currently hiring for millwrights and electricians, along with boiler operators. The remaining four staff positions will be filled in February and March,” said Keith. “The balance of the positions (mostly operators) will be hired in April and May.”
More than 20 will be employed at the site, once the sawmill is fully operational.
