Norampac of Quebec, Canada, has announced plans to build a new $430 million, state-of-the-art facility in Niagara Falls, NY, to manufacture "green" packaging material from recycled fibers. The project is expected to create 108 jobs.

Norampac is the largest containerboard producer in Canada and has nearly 5,000 employees. It owns several paper and packaging products mills in U.S. and Canada. It operates 37 facilities (four in New York), including an additional plant located in Niagara Falls with 138 employees, and three plants in Lancaster, Maspeth and Schenectady. The company is a division of Cascades, a packaging and paper products company with 11,000 employees in North America and Europe.

"With six Cascades facilities already in the state employing more than 800 New Yorkers, this is another example of businesses realizing the great value of investing in New York," said NY Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Empire State Development and a number of state and local entities put together $142 million incentive package to attract the Norampac expansion. The company said the inexpensive hydropower and significant incentives were central to its decision to locate the new manufacturing facility in Niagara Falls. These incentives include:

• $60 million in brownfield tax credits, administered by New York State Department of Taxation and Finance


• 10 megawatts of hydropower, from New York Power Authority


• $5 million in Empire Zone tax credits


• $3.5 million from the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority to purchase/install energy-efficient systems (will conserve 31 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually)


• A $500,000 utility infrastructure grant, through National Grid's Capital Investment Incentive program, and


• Various resources from Niagara County Employment and Training, and the Niagara Falls Water Board.

Paul Dyster, mayor of the City of Niagara Falls Mayor explained that 100 years ago, Niagara Falls was the Silicon Valley of its day, with world-renowned scientists like Tesla and Edison competing for the public eye.

"After suffering a decline in traditional industries in the late twentieth century, Niagara Falls is now once again on the rise," he said, "creating sustainable new 'green' industries for the 21st century. Whether the yardstick is job creation, economic spin-off, investment, or greening the environment, Norampac's decision to expand here in Niagara Falls is an irrefutable sign that New York state is once again open for business."