Mercer Peace River to Begin 10-Day Planned Maintenance Shutdown in September

Mercer International Inc. announced that its Peace River pulp mill will undertake a planned 10-day maintenance shutdown from September 7 to 17, 2026, to carry out critical inspections, repairs and equipment servicing.

The outage is expected to reduce production by approximately 15,000 air-dried metric tonnes, an impact the company said has already been factored into the mill's annual production outlook.

Annual maintenance shutdowns allow pulp mills to inspect and service equipment that operates continuously and cannot be safely repaired or inspected during normal production. At the Peace River mill, the 2026 maintenance program will focus on internal inspection and repairs to the digester, optimization work on the pulp machine, and inspection of the recovery boiler.

Cal Dakin, Managing Director of Mercer Peace River, said the planned shutdown would allow teams to inspect equipment and complete upgrades on a scheduled basis rather than responding to unplanned failures.

The shutdown is also expected to bring between 475 and 500 contractors and specialized tradespeople to the Peace River area. Mercer said its mill workforce will remain fully engaged during the outage and work alongside contract crews to complete the maintenance program.

Bill Adams, Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President, Canadian Pulp Operations, said planned maintenance is part of the company's approach to maintaining equipment efficiency as well as environmental and safety performance.

The mill is expected to resume normal production immediately after the maintenance work is completed. Mercer said it will continue working with customers and logistics partners to manage the temporary reduction in output during the September outage.