The Androscoggin Mill in Jay will be closing next year, eliminating 230 jobs in the area.

Pixelle Specialty Solutions said Tuesday the paper mill will close in the first quarter of 2023.

An explosion at the mill in 2020 destroyed equipment which impacted operations.

Gov. Janet Mills reacted to the news, saying Pixelle CEO and President Timothy Hess informed her of the closure directly.

Mills said she was told there’s nothing the state can do to keep the mill operating.

“He said that if there had been, he would have asked, and I told him that I would have done everything within my power to help,” the governor said in a statement.

She says Pixelle is offering employees healthcare benefits and severance pay after the closure.

“Economic forces beyond our control have combined to make profitable operations at the mill unsustainable. We are grateful for the efforts of the employees and are committed to assisting them with offers of continued employment at other Pixelle locations or outplacement support,” said Hess.

Mills said the state will send a Rapid Response Team to support mill workers and their families.