The countdown is over for Fibre Excellence. After several months of discussions with the public authorities, the pulp producer, which employs nearly 700 people, has declared its suspension of payments to the Toulouse Commercial Court. Although the "collective efforts have enabled us to make progress", it is "in the legal obligation to declare the state of cessation of payments", in view of the "current cash position". Fibre Excellence operates two pulp production sites in Tarascon (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Saint-Gaudens (Haute-Garonne), and has taken over the Chapelle Darblay site in Grand-Couronne (Seine-Maritime), which is currently shut down.
Proposals for biomass electricity
A few days before this deadline, the French Ministry of Industry sent a letter to the shareholder, Jackson Wijaya, with its latest proposals. These include a re-evaluation of the feed-in tariff for electricity generated from biomass, a key lever for the economic equilibrium of both sites. It also mentions the possible entry of the Occitanie region into the capital, and an expected commitment to an investment plan.
For Fibre Excellence, these elements are "an encouraging signal for the Group's future", and specifies that they are " are currently being analyzed and modeled to assess their real impact".
Court decision pending
What happens next now depends on the Commercial Court. A decision is expected by the end of April. This will depend on " of the latest discussions with the State concerning economic equilibrium" activities.
This step is the latest in a long-running dispute over the conditions under which biomass electricity is remunerated. At the end of March, the papermaker lodged an administrative appeal, arguing that the current system was not sufficient to cover its costs.
Fibre Excellence remains convinced that "a solution remains possible to maintain and develop a combined pulp/renewable electricity industry in France". L he papermaker continues to support its industrial project "with determination .
