FRANKLIN—International Paper announced Tuesday it plans to spend $83 million to repurpose a portion of its shuttered Franklin mill, creating 213 jobs.

Beginning in mid-2012, the company expects to begin fluff pulp production at the mill, located across the Blackwater River in Isle of Wight County.

IP continues to actively evaluate additional repurposing options for the Franklin site with third-party partners, according to a statement released Tuesday.

The jobs in the fluff pulp mill would be manufacturing and production jobs similar to ones used before the facility shut down last year. Pay would be competitive and hiring would be based on skills.

In addition to the 200-plus jobs to be created by the plant’s repurposing, IP’s announcement also opens the door to many new indirect jobs in the transportation and logging industries, said John Smolak, president of Franklin Southampton Economic Development Inc.

Mayor Jim Councill said a number of factors helped lead IP to the decision to repurpose part of the mill campus. Those factors include the quality of the workforce, local commitment as well as proximity to major ports and a plentiful wood basket.

“We are ecstatic,” Councill said. “We knew things were being discussed, but we didn’t know if anything was going to happen.”