The first barge carrying major components for Irving Pulp & Paper's Project NextGen navigates Saint John's Reversing Falls on its way to the project site.
Sept. 17, 2026 - The first barge carrying major components for Irving Pulp & Paper's Project NextGen successfully navigated Saint John's Reversing Falls and arrived at Lee Cove on Sept. 13 where the Irving Equipment team unloaded the components.
Project NextGen is a $1.5-billion generational upgrade to Irving Pulp & Paper's west side pulp mill in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, and the largest investment in the Canadian forest products industry in more than 30 years.
Key funding for the project came in September 2025, when the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) reached financial close on a $660 million loan to Irving Pulp & Paper to support the large-scale modernization.
Key components of the project involve the construction of a new recovery boiler, steam turbine and green energy generator, along with the decommissioning of an oil-fired boiler.
The modernization will make the mill energy self-sufficient, eliminate the combustion of heavy fuel oil as an energy source and reduce emissions per tonne of kraft pulp by 50%, supporting the province's energy transition.
Once complete, this project will also position the mill among the top 10 global producers of softwood kraft pulp, boosting production output by over 70%.
Irving Pulp & Paper initially submitted a preliminary application to undertake Project NextGen in May of 2024.
Irving Pulp & Paper produces softwood and hardwood grades of kraft pulp — Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) and Northern Bleached Hardwood Kraft (NBHK). The mill specializes in fiber for premium tissue products in global markets, producing exceptional tissue quality NBSK pulp.
SOURCE: Irving Pulp & Paper and Canada Infrastructure Bank