MORNING SENTINEL • August 30, 2021
Officials at the Sappi Somerset Mill said Monday that although Gov. Janet Mills has assured them the mill will not close in response to issues with relicensing the Shawmut Dam, they are still concerned about the future. The concerns about the mill arose during regulatory review of dams along the Kennebec River, which includes the 100-year-old Shawmut hydroelectric dam, as part of a complicated relicensing process. Among the considerations for regulators is allowing a certain amount of fish, such as the endangered Atlantic salmon, to pass upstream. The Shawmut Dam impoundment is the source of water for the Somerset mill, which uses about 28 million gallons per day for processing, cooling and fire protection. The mill is owned by Sappi [a South African corporation]; the dam is owned by Brookfield Renewable [a Canadian conglomerate].