Paper and forest product manufacturer Georgia-Pacific announced plans to modernize, expand and streamline its Alabama River Cellulose softwood pulp mill in Perdue Hill. 

Georgia-Pacific stated that the $800 million project, scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 and conclude in 2027, would enhance and expand essential manufacturing equipment, increasing the mill's production capacity by about 300 tons per day. 

The company expects the mill to annually produce close to 1 million tons of fluff and market pulps.

Georgia-Pacific aims to meet growing demand for softwood pulp products through the investment in the facility, which produces materials used in consumer goods such as baby diapers, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products, facial tissue, kitchen towels, paper cups and plates.

The project will install a digester, a new pulp dryer and a more efficient power boiler. It will also make modifications to the brown stock washing and recausticizing systems, recovery boiler, evaporators and lime kiln.

Georgia-Pacific also plans to improve the plant's environmental performance by reducing water usage, lowering particulate emissions, using energy more efficiently, improving wastewater processing, capturing more valuable byproducts and improving biomass recovery and utilization.

"Combined with the new funding, the facility will have received more than $1.5 billion in investments," GP Cellulose President Munir Abdallah said. "Modernizing this mill means our business will be well-positioned to meet the growing needs of emerging markets."

Georgia-Pacific directly employs close to 2,400 employees and operates six facilities in Alabama. The Alabama River Cellulose mill provides more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.