Drax to shut B.C. wood pellet plant by year’s end, says not ‘commercially viable’

WILLIAMS LAKE – A company operating a wood pellet plant in the British Columbia Interior says the facility will be shuttered by the end of the year due to a lack of available fibre.

U.K.-based Drax, which has faced accusations it burns old-growth B.C. timber for power generation in Britain, says it is shutting the Williams Lake plant due to closures and curtailments at nearby sawmills, as well as “the loss of a bid for key local supply.”

The company says the reduction in fibre availability means the plant is “no longer commercially viable,” and operations will be wound down until existing supply runs out.

Drax, which has operations across B.C. and Alberta, says 30 workers are employed at the Williams Lake facility, and a support plan is being implemented in light of the closure announce