Fibre Excellence faces liquidation threat as French government questions investor

Fibre Excellence, the owner of France's last two pulp factories in Saint‑Gaudens (Haute‑Garonne) and Tarascon (Bouches‑du‑Rhône), employs 670 workers and has been in judicial recovery since April 27. A court hearing on June 17 in Toulouse will decide the company's fate, with local authorities warning that its collapse could endanger a sector that supports more than 10,000 jobs.

Industry minister Sébastien Martin told parliament that the proposed takeover "does not rest on a real industrial investor," echoing concerns from regional presidents Carole Delga and unions such as the CGT. The company's Indonesian shareholder, Jackson Wijaya of Asia Pulp and Paper, withdrew after investing roughly €300 million, citing lack of profitability. The state has offered to raise EDF's electricity‑purchase price for the plant by up to 20 % and to secure wood supplies via the National Forest Office, but union leaders say these measures are insufficient.

Regional governments in Occitanie and Provence‑Alpes‑Côte d’Azur have asked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu for firm commitments before the June hearing, insisting that preserving Fibre Excellence is critical for French industrial sovereignty.