International Paper Breaks Ground on $103M Upgrade in Cedar Rapids

Earlier this month, International Paper broke ground on an expansion of its 100 percent-recycled containerboard mill in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The upgrade will include a new 20,000-square-foot building on the Cedar River Mill campus that will house a water treatment plant and new natural gas boilers. The coal boilers at Alliant Energy’s Prairie Creek Generating Station presently operate the mill’s steam power, but Alliant will no longer burn coal at Prairie Creek under the terms of an environmental lawsuit settlement. International Paper expects greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by up to 25 percent as a result of the upgrade to natural gas. The Memphis-based paper and packaging producer began the upgrade after receiving approval from the Cedar Rapids City Council to authorize sponsorship of a business financial application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

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