Kronospan Holding Ltd has started construction of a wood panel processing facility in Smorgon, Grodno Oblast, Belarus, according to BelTA, the Belarusian Telegraph Agency.

The Economy Department of the Smorgon District Executive Committee said the project represented an investment of US$150m and would take three years to complete.

The site will manufacture OSB, laminated particleboard flooring and MDF, and production is expected to begin in the first half of next year.

At full production, the facility will process 1.5 million m3 of wood and create 300 jobs. The majority of production will be exported.