osake, you are putting words into my mouth - I didn't state that Bell Bay is about selling kWts, nor did I state it was power generation that made it economic.
GNS' mill is designed to produce market pulp and that means it needs to be high strength BKP. BKP occupies about 90% of that segment and most of it is BEKP! No one in their right mind would build a mill today producing market pulp that was made by any other process. You'd end up a sad and sorry bottom feeder.
Pray tell me, how does CTMP or PGW produce enough heat to be almost power cost neutral? From refiners driven by bloody great big electric motors? That generates some heat but only a modest amount can be recovered. Mechanical pulping process have become more energy efficient (e.g. sulphite pretreatment; pressurised steam) - not to be confused with energy neutral. Energy is lost in separating fibres. It is not a perpetual motion machine.
BTW, Hydro power is no longer cheap - Tassie is on the national network.
Thank goodness GNS are getting advice from talented employees (eg ex-UPM), Poyry, Andritz and other major players on the world stage, and not the firm you apparently once worked for.
GNS Price at posting:
49.0¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Held
