J.D. Irving announces that Phase 2 of the modernization project at its Irving Pulp & Paper Mill in Saint John, New Brunswick is about 95% complete.The project is part of a $450 million modernization — the largest pulp mill investment in Canada since 1993.

To date, JDI has awarded over $90 million in contracts to 166 New Brunswick companies since the beginning of the modernization in 2014.The current Phase 2 of the modernization has created about 450 direct and indirect construction jobs at the pulp mill site in west side Saint John.

Engineering and some civil work has started on Phase 3 of the modernization project — a $250 million pulp dryer project.

Irving Pulp & Paper produces of both Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) and Northern Bleached Hardwood Kraft (NBHK), and has an annual capacity of 335,000 tonnes per year.