Elk Falls Mill was a

pulp mill A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber sources into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical, or ful ...

and

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

located in the Canadian town of Campbell River,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, operating between 1952 and 2010. At the end of its life, the mill had three

paper machine A paper machine (or paper-making machine) is an industrial machine which is used in the pulp and paper industry to create paper in large quantities at high speed. Modern paper-making machines are based on the principles of the Fourdrinier Machin ...

s, with a combined annual production of 373,000 tonnes of

newsprint Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper consisting mainly of wood pulp and most commonly used to print newspapers and other publications and advertising material. Invented in 1844 by Charles Fenerty of Nova Scotia, Canada, it usually has an ...

and 153,000 tonnes specialized papers. The mill was established by Crown Zellerbach in 1952 as the first newsprint mill on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

. This was made possible through the construction of

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

generating stations on the Campbell River. Crown Zellerbach was bought by

Fletcher Challenge Fletcher Challenge was a multinational corporation from New Zealand. It was formed in 1981 by the merger of Fletcher Holdings, Challenge Corporation and Tasman Pulp and Paper. It had holdings in construction, forestry, building, and energy, init ...

in 1981, becoming Crown Forest Industries. It merged in 1987 to form Fletcher Challenge Canada. This was again bought by Norske Skog in 2000 and became part of their Canadian division, which became Catalyst Paper in 2005. Elk Falls Mill was closed in 2010 due to diminishing demand for newsprint. It is the site of Island Generating Station, a natural gas-fired fossil-fuel power station.

References

{{Norske Skog Pulp and paper mills in British Columbia Campbell River, British Columbia 1952 establishments in British Columbia 2010 disestablishments in British Columbia Fletcher Challenge Norske Skog Catalyst Paper Industrial buildings completed in 1952