Lysaker, Norway 20 August 2015 -- Norske Skog will extend the nine-week commercial downtime on one machine until the end of the year in a try to match output to market demand. Negotiations with unions on temporary layoffs are still going on.

At the end of June, Norske Skog has suspended production on the PM 2 at the Skogn newsprint mill, in what originally meant to be a nine-week market-related shutdown. Now, the company has decided to continue the temporary measure on one machine until the end of the year.

There will be a market-related downtime on one machine until the end of the year, Norske Skog says. The machines affected by the measure are PM 1 and PM 2: they will be stopped alternately, that is, never both machines at the same time, according to the company.

Norske Skog runs three paper machines at the Skogn site with a total production capacity of up to 600,000 tpy of standard and improved newsprint. PM 3 will reportedly not be affected by the plan.