New plant a winner for FTP

Article Excerpt

FORTRESS PAPER $44.49 (Toronto symbol FTP; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-888-820-3888; www.fortresspaper.com; Shares outstanding: 15.1 million; Market cap: $671.8 million; No dividends paid) bought an idled pulp plant in Thurso, Quebec, for $3 million in April 2010. It then restarted pulp production at this plant. Meanwhile, Fortress has been converting the plant to produce a type of cellulose called dissolving pulp, which is mainly used in viscose fibre, or rayon. The conversion should be fully operational shortly. Dissolving pulp prices remain high, and Fortress has already signed contracts with a number of companies in China. Fortress is also building a 25-megawatt biomass-fuelled cogeneration facility to supply electricity for the Thurso plant. Biomass facilities burn plant materials and waste. Cogeneration involves recovering heat that is created in the initial generating process and recycling it to produce more electricity. Fortress’ outlook is positive, and the dissolving pulp plant should make a big contribution to its earnings. Fortress Paper is still a buy. buy…