[MonctonRad]

Solar firm plans over 300 jobs
Published Thursday February 12th, 2009

Umoe Solar says workers have already been hired for demolition phase
BY KRIS MCDAVID
Times & Transcript Staff

MIRAMICHI - The once foggy details surrounding Umoe Solar's plans for operation in Miramichi became a little clearer yesterday after the company held a closed-door meeting held with government officials.


A spokesman for the Norwegian firm confirmed that it would still be at least two more years before a solar cell plant on the Miramichi will be up and running, but when it is finished, he said there will be hundreds of jobs waiting to be filled.

Ernst Anderson said Umoe Solar hopes to begin a lengthy demolition of the buildings that dot the former UPM-Kymmene paper mill site this spring -- a process that will take at least a year to complete on its own.

"We have a very difficult task to do here," said Anderson. "All the machines are destroyed here so we have to take everything down -- there's a demolition to be done at the pulp mill on the Nelson side as well, and it won't be easy to sell all of the steel."

Last month, Umoe Solar bought UPM's New Brunswick assets -- which include a paper mill and groundwood pulp mill in Miramichi, and sawmills in Bathurst and Blackville.

Anderson said he envisions between 300-350 employees working at the site, with room to grow, depending on the initial success of the venture.

He said the vast majority of workers would be hired from within the region, but added the company would have to recruit at least five or 10 specialized positions from outside of Canada.

"The most important people will need chemical backgrounds, metallurgic backgrounds, and we believe that some of these can be hired from within the region, in places like Saint John," said Anderson.

"About 50 or 60 people will need a university degree, and after that, some technical background -- I think we can get maybe 50 or 60 per cent of our employees directly from within this (Miramichi) area."

Anderson said the company has already hired five employees who will work during the demolition phase, and that he expects several researchers to be hired within the coming weeks.

Public Safety Minister and Miramichi Centre MLA John Foran said he's thrilled with the first impression the company has made so far.

"From the briefing I just got, to me, they're going to be on the cutting edge of technology, and world leaders in this industry, and there's nothing but greatness that I can see for Miramichi," said Foran.

"The fact that they're here and have hired several people on the staff from the Miramichi area, this tells me that they're committed."

Miramichi Bay du Vin MLA Bill Fraser agreed, saying he can't see any negatives by having the Norwegian firm operating in the city.

Fraser said he's grateful that, after searching the world over for a location to set up a base of operations, the company chose to be in Miramichi.

"With the future being green, there's nothing but potential here," said Fraser. "The spin-offs from this are going to be tremendous -- the demolition and construction phases will present all kinds of work for local companies like Sunny Corner Enterprises, Atcon Industrial, and other supply shops."