AbitibiBowater announces completion of asset sales

    
    US$
    ABWTQ (OTC)
    

MONTREAL, June 8 /CNW Telbec/ - AbitibiBowater announced today that its subsidiaries have completed (i) the sale of three idle paper mills located in eastern Canada together with certain related assets and the property on which these paper mills are located to a wholly owned affiliate of American Iron & Metal Company Inc. ("AIM") for C$8.7 million and (ii) the sale of assets located in British Columbia to an affiliate of Conifex Inc. ("Conifex") for C$33.9 million.

The three paper mills sold to AIM are located in Beaupré (Québec), Donnacona (Québec) and Dalhousie (New Brunswick). As part of the sale, AIM has also agreed to acquire a fourth idle paper mill (Fort William), located in Thunder Bay (Ontario). In addition, AbitibiBowater will be paid 40% of the net proceeds from any subsequent sale of paper machines from these mills, of which AIM has undertaken to pay C$5 million on September 6, 2010, regardless of whether any such subsequent sale takes place.

The assets sold to Conifex, all located in Mackenzie (British Columbia), include a paper mill, two sawmills, including planer mills, as well as timberland operations with a forestry license providing an annual allowable cut of approximately 932,500 cubic meters.

AbitibiBowater has streamlined its asset portfolio to focus on top-performing facilities by closing or idling 3.4 million metric tons of paper capacity, moving from an overall production capacity of 10.4 million metric tons to 7 million metric tons, since 2007. During this period, the Company has also sold aggregate assets and land for total proceeds of over $980 million.

AbitibiBowater produces a wide range of newsprint, commercial printing papers, market pulp and wood products. It is the eighth largest publicly traded pulp and paper manufacturer in the world. AbitibiBowater owns or operates 21 pulp and paper facilities and 24 wood products facilities located in the United States, Canada and South Korea. Marketing its products in more than 90 countries, the Company is also among the world's largest recyclers of old newspapers and magazines, and has third-party certified 100% of its managed woodlands to sustainable forest management standards. AbitibiBowater's shares trade over-the-counter on the Pink Sheets and on the OTC Bulletin Board under the stock symbol ABWTQ.

For further information: Investors: Duane Owens, Vice President, Finance, [phone]; Media and Others: Pierre Choquette, Manager, Public Affairs - Quebec, [phone]