Sonae restarts work at Knowsley chipboard site

PORTUGUESE conglomerate Sonae Industria has restarted woodchip production at its Knowsley plant.

Work has restarted following a £25m redevelopment after the plant was damaged by fire in June. The firm said that it had begun an “extensive” commissioning process to ensure equipment was running correctly.

It said that production levels were operating at 80% of capacity, with the plant currently producing around 1,000 cubic metres of chipboard each day. It added that the plant was likely to remain open throughout the Christmas period and was expected to reach 90% capacity by next spring.

Nigel Graham, managing director at Sonae Industria (UK) Ltd said: “We are naturally delighted that the chipboard production is now operational again and our first boards have been produced.

“The continued support and investment from our parent company in Portugal has not only safeguarded local jobs but also given us the opportunity to improve our operation here in terms of Health & Safety and environmental compliance.”

Local MP George Howarth had tabled a motion in the House of Commons in June calling for the plant’s closure following the fire and the earlier deaths of two workers at the plant in December 2010. A demolition worker also died during clean-up works in August.

Graham said that Sonae would “continue to build relationships with local representatives and community groups, incorporating their concerns and suggestions into our plans where possible”.

“We propose to radically change our previous layout and operation in response to these recommendations, and hope to be able to progress these further improvements, with an additional £30m of expenditure earmarked for phase two.”