Ceres Global Ag president and CEO Robert Day calls it an “exciting time” for the company.
Minnesota-based Ceres Global Ag announced Tuesday it is constructing a US$350-million integrated canola crush facility in Northgate, just off Highway 9 near the Northgate Border Crossing.
Day said a new canola crush plant near Saskatchewan’s border with the U.S. will “take advantage of the unprecedented demand for oilseed crush in North America.”
“While there are multiple drivers contributing to this demand, the most important is the movement towards green energy and the need for vegetable oil as feedstock for the production of renewable diesel,” he said in a statement.
“We have been analyzing canola crush at Northgate for several years as its location along the Canada-U.S. border is ideally located to originate canola seed from our farmer partners, and with a direct connection to BNSF Railway, it provides the most efficient access to the U.S. market and U.S. ports.”
The plant will have the capacity to process 1.1 million metric tonnes of canola and refine 500,000 metric tonnes of canola oil once operational, the company said.
Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said the new facility will help open current and new markets for canola products.
“With this investment by Ceres, our capacity for value-added production within our province will be further increased, producing more high-quality canola oil and meal for export to current and new markets around the world,” Harrison said in a statement.
“This is good news for jobs and our economy in Saskatchewan, and this also supports our Growth Plan goal to increase agri-food exports to $20 billion in the years ahead.”
The Saskatchewan Growth Plan for 2030 includes crushing 75 per cent of the canola produced in the province.
It’s the fourth major crushing facility announcement in the province in the past two months.
In April, Richardson International said it is expanding its Yorkton facility to process 2.2 million metric tonnes annually.
In May, both Cargill and Viterra announced new canola crushing facilities for Regina.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe welcomed news of Ceres’ investment in the province.
“Adding value to agriculture products right here in Saskatchewan will help us reach the goals set out in our Growth Plan,” Moe said in a statement.
“With its direct connection to the BNSF railroad, Ceres can offer Saskatchewan growers access to a variety of markets in the United States.”
Construction on the facility is scheduled to start in 2022.
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