The $43 million energy project will create 50 permanent and 75 temporary jobs
QUINNESEC -- The Verso Paper Mill in Quinnesec is launching a $43 million renewable energy project that will expand the mill and create more than 100 short- and long-term jobs.
The project was approved by the state of Michigan Wednesday making the 18 month project a reality. Verso will convert wood scraps into biomass to power the plant.
The new energy source is both environmentally friendly and will meet more than 95 percent of the plant's energy needs.
"We have a three prong type of energy program,” said Verso Mill Manager Michel Sussman. “We're trying to generate more power through green energy that reduces our costs and makes us more competitive, and this project is just the first in many of our strategies that do that."
The project will also create 75 construction jobs and an additional 50 permanent jobs.
"I think it's vital that we get people in our community back to work,” said Dickinson County Commissioner Frank Smith. “It saddens me to think of the number of people that are either underemployed or unemployed. This could be a good shot in the arm for us."
Sussman said the project is a new beginning for what he hopes will be a long relationship between Verso and Dickinson County.
"For investment of this type, it's kind of historic,” he said. “As we hit the 25th anniversary of our facility, now 25 years old, this sort of investment of $45 million starts to set us up for the future of the next 45 years."
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