Maryborough mill making history

Maryborough Mill could soon make history as the first ever shuttered Queensland sugar mill to reopen, with an agreement to sell the mill almost a done deal.

When MSF mothballed the mill in 2020 it brought down the curtain on 126 years of cane crushing in the region, but an agreement between MSF and Australian-Japanese joint venture, Advanced Energy Group, could see cane going through the rollers as early as 2023.

"It's not a done deal just yet, there are still some things to be finalised, so we don't want to start celebrating," CANEGROWERS Maryborough Chairman Roger Bambling said.

"But everyone is very happy and very excited at the prospect of the mill reopening. If you'd said 18 months ago that this was going to happen they would have sent you away in a straitjacket.

"If it all goes through as we hope, it will be the first time a mill that has been closed has started producing sugar again. I think it will be a great thing, not just for the industry here in Maryborough, but for the industry as a whole."

As part of the deal, the mill must be operational and ready to crush cane when MSF hand over the keys.

Jeff Atkinson, who is working on the project for CANEGROWERS, said equipment had started turning up at the mill.

"Some pumps have been delivered to the mill and job ads have gone online to recruit workers to get it up and running," Jeff said.

"There is still some paperwork to finalise, but my understanding is the deal is 99% done. Still, that 1% can always cause you problems."

If all goes to plan the mill will start crushing cane again in the 2023 season, Jeff said.

"For the first two years at least the mill will produce sugar as usual, but the new owners have a plan in place to produce ethanol and renewable diesel. It's an exciting time for the local industry. We just need to get it over the line." •

Pictured: Steam could soon be rising from Maryborough Mill once again. (Photo by Graeme Wilson).