Thursday, April 14, 2022 10:45 am
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CANADA (News release) -- Groupe Lebel will continue its $40 million investment program by building a brand-new wood pellet plant on the Cacouna site, Quebec, Canada, it has occupied since 2002.
"The plant will help us optimize our growth plan," explained Louis-Frédéric Lebel, Groupe Lebel president and CEO, "as it will give us an outlet for unsold by-products and processed wood affected by the spruce budworm. Further, Cacouna was a highly strategic choice of location for the future plant since it's close to the Port of Gros-Cacouna and our primary processing activities."
The first phase of the plant's operations will begin in 2023 with an annual capacity of nearly 100,000 metric tons of wood pellets. Groupe Lebel aims to ship the majority of its production to growing international markets.
With this investment, Groupe Lebel expects to create two dozen jobs in Cacouna and to help maintain forestry jobs in the region.
Groupe Lebel's founder purchased the company's first plant in Squatec in 1956. Groupe Lebel is now has over 1,200 employees in its 19 sawmills, value-added product plants and head office.