"Norske Skog sells less paper than before since many replace paper with electronic media. We unfortunately no longer need as many paper mills, and therefore the least competitive mill has to be closed first", says chair of the board Eivind Reiten at Norske Skog. "The majority of the board has concluded that no justifiable alternative to a closure exists. This is regrettable towards the employees at Follum. We have been negotiating with Viken Skog regarding a potential sale. It has however not been possible to reach an agreement which is viable both in a market and an economic sense", he continues.

Norske Skog Follum is located in the town of Hønefoss, Norway and has 356 employees. The mill produces improved newsprint, magazine paper and book paper. Annual production capacity is 290 000 t.