73 of the site’s 132 employees will be relocated to other mills within Lecta’s Torraspapel subsidiary.

The plant's production of approximately 67,000 tons of base paper and uncoated speciality papers will be redistributed mainly between its sites in Zaragoza and Motril.

The decision to close the site was made on 30 June following a negotiation process with employee representatives to study the viability of shutting down the Sarrià de Ter operation.

Lecta said the reason to close the plant has been made because of difficult conditions in the paper industry that have resulted in a permanent drop in demand.

It has also been affected by the impact of changes in the legislative framework for the electricity industry in recent years.

The gradual closure of the plant, one of Torraspapel’s six mills in Spain, will take place over the next few months.

Lecta's management did not wish to add further comment on the closure when contacted by PrintWeek.