JAY — Verso Paper Corp. has been awarded a $9.3 million federal grant to implement waste energy recovery technologies at three mills in Maine and Minnesota to reduce energy by 33 percent overall.

Maine Rep. Mike Michaud and the U.S. Department of Energy made the announcement Tuesday. The grant is among more than $155 million being awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for industrial energy efficiency projects across the country.

Verso Paper has a portfolio of 12 projects to be done at the company’s Jay and Bucksport mills, and its Sartell mill in Minnesota, Verso spokesman Bill Cohen said Tuesday. The primary target is energy savings and efficiencies, he said.

There will be three projects done at the Androscoggin Mill in Jay, four at the Bucksport Mill in Bucksport, and five smaller projects done at the Sartell mill, he said.

The bundled project has an overall efficiency of 33 percent and will save an estimated 1.28 trillion British Thermal Units, or BTUs, annually, Cohen said.He would not disclose what the company spends on energy.

When the company published its report, Maine on Paper, it outlined the importance of the pulp and paper industry in the state, the issues it faced, including high energy costs, and what Verso was doing to stay competitive.

One of Verso’s long-term strategies is energy savings, Cohen said.

“We’re grateful for the help of the congressional delegation working with us,” Cohen said. “This will help us move ahead with the 12 projects and allow us to save energy and help us remain competitive in a difficult market.”

Verso Paper is one of the leading North American
suppliers of coated papers, which are used primarily in media and marketing
applications, including catalogs, magazines and commercial printing
applications, such as high-end advertising brochures, annual reports and direct
mail advertising, according to its Web site. It employs about 950 people at the Jay mill, 700 at Bucksport and 400 at Sartell, Cohen said.

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