Domtar shares updates on anaerobic digester project

KINGSPORT — Domtar officials gave a status update on the mill's anaerobic digester project at Tuesday's Kingsport Economic Development meeting. Charlie Floyd, vice president for strategic capital projects for Domtar, said design work is expected to be completed this week — paving the way for a focus on construction. He said the biggest part left is to order 20,000 linear feet of piping for the digester and get it delivered. He said Wieland Construction is "doing a good job" with the project, with a headcount of around 50 people at the current stage of development. The headcount will peak at about 150 people, according to Floyd. The board saw 3D models, site progress photos, and an updated timeline for the project as presented by Domtar. Floyd said the mill has been asked to add a stormwater retention pond to the current project. Kingsport officials are working with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to put together a municipal separate storm sewer system permit, which Floyd said was approved by the city yesterday to get work started on the pond. "We were told here recently that was not part of the scope, but we put in place an 80,000 cubic foot storm water retention pond, and we are going to have to build and add into the anaerobic digester adjacent to it," he said. "I will, once again, let Chris [McCartt] and the team know we really appreciate the city working with us. A lot of that stuff starts at the EPA, comes down to the state, and comes down to the city, and then moves from there." Working with partners Floyd said Domtar will have to ask the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the city to work with them on diverting traffic off Industry Drive soon to run fiber optic cable to the area next to the river. He expects that to happen at the end of the month or early February. "We're also continuing to work with CSX to get everything in place, to get the piping across the rail track," he mentioned. "We'll be finishing the foundations and fabrications of the remaining tanks in the next few weeks, placing orders for pipe racks and steel and concrete." The mill has also moved its annual, planned outage from May to August. Floyd said this change should not impact the digester's completion date. "Their annual outage that was going to be in May is now going to be in August, and that's really not going to change the project," he said. "It's mostly the tie-ins that it moves and impacts. So we've already selected the contractor and they're ready to go to make the tie-ins." KEDB board member Laura Durbin asked if Domtar had any plans to alleviate the odor temporarily, since the anaerobic digester has a target closeout date in the first quarter in 2027. Floyd said the mill continues to implement projects to reduce effluent consumption and fiber going into the sewer. Bonnie Depew, the mill's environmental manager, said Domtar will look at some of the odor mitigation options used last year, as well as other options, to see which are the most viable. "We do have a couple other options that we have that have come up since last summer, that we may be able to try," Depew said. "But overall, we keep doing what we've been doing. We had just gotten the second oxygen system in, it was really about May last year, so that was not in at the beginning when we usually see the worst of the odor." Retirement announcement At the end of the Domtar update, Floyd announced his plan to retire at the end of the month. He thanked the board for their leadership, friendship and guidance over the years. "I think there couldn't have been a better place for me to land in my career than this area," he said. "I've learned so much from the Dennis Phillips of the world and the Miles Burdines of the world, and the Jeff Flemings, you name it. Everybody in this room has just been so special, and we love it to death." Floyd served as the mill manager from 2003 to 2013 and played a major role in the Kingsport mill's conversion in 2020. "So the last few years, it's been really good to put a team together that manages strategic capital for the company," he said. "I'm really proud of the guys we got to work on these projects." He introduced James Chivers at the meeting, the man who would be assuming his position and take over presenting Domtar updates to KEDB each month. Kingsport Mayor Paul Montgomery presented Floyd with a plaque and a J. Fred Johnson coin to commemorate his service to the community. The next KEBD meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 3 in the Eastman Board Room, located at the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce near downtown.