AN AERIAL VIEW of the Verso Corp. pulp and paper mill in Quinnesec.

QUINNESEC — Billerud North America’s Quinnesec Mill will begin its longest and largest planned major outage in the mill’s history beginning Saturday.

During the five-week shutdown, the mill will perform routine maintenance and repairs for continued safe operations and sound environmental performance, officials said.

“This outage is extremely important,” said Dennis Perpich, operations vice president for the mill. “In addition to performing routine repairs, we are also completing several strategic capital projects. This work will enable the mill to run more efficiently, improve product quality and support the longevity and sustainability of the Quinnesec Mill.”

The shutdown will require the work of over 1,000 contractors during peak activity.

“Several contractors are already onsite performing pre-outage work and several hundred more are expected,” Perpich said. “Many of these contractors will be dining, lodging and using other services within the community; therefore it will not only be a busy and exciting time here at the mill but also for local businesses as well.”

Area residents should expect above average traffic at the mill’s three gate entrances along U.S. 2 throughout the shutdown.