“We’re very excited about starting construction here in Warden, not only because of the product and geographic diversification it represents for our company but because of the tremendous benefits this plant will bring to the local economy,” said Joel Horn, president and chief executive officer of Legumex Walker and president of Pacific Coast Canola. “We believe this plant will generate hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity over the next decade in terms of direct employment and income to farmers and other sectors of the agricultural economy.”
“This groundbreaking marks the start of one of the largest construction projects in the history of Warden,” said Terry Brewer, executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council. “Pacific Coast Canola is a great addition to the community; we expect it will be a source of economic activity for years to come with a positive impact felt throughout the county and the region.”
“We’re enormously grateful for the support and warm welcome we’ve received from Warden and Grant County,” said Kevin Raymond, general manager of Pacific Coast Canola. “We’re proud to be a part of the community, to add to the fabric of the economy, to be a good neighbor, a good employer and we look forward to becoming the Pacific Northwest’s largest purchaser of canola seed from our local producers.”
The event will include a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site of the plant as well as brief remarks by company officials and community leaders.
The plant, which is designed to process 1,100 tonnes of canola per day, will be operated by Legumex Walker’s Pacific Coast Canola subsidiary. The Warden facility will be the company’s first in the U.S. and will produce expeller-pressed canola oil and high-quality canola meal.
The plant will be the first commercial-scale canola crushing operation west of the Rockies and is well-positioned to supply the expanding demand for canola products on the west coast of the U.S. Warden is in the heart of a multi-state region that is ideal for canola production and well-served by rail and surface transportation routes.
The facility is expected to be completed by late 2012 and operational by early 2013. It will be constructed by Industrial Construction Group of Portland, Oregon, U.S. Total cost of the plant is expected be approximately $110 million. The plant has a design output capacity of 142,500 tonnes of canola oil and 227,000 tonnes of canola meal per year. Pacific Coast Canola is 85% owned by Legumex Walker and 15% by Glencore Grain Investment LLC.
