The Richardson Pioneer grain elevator at Estevan, Sask., is now booked for an expansion that’s expected to nearly double its storage space.
Winnipeg-based Richardson International on Thursday said it will build an additional storage facility with 12,000 tonnes capacity at the site, already listed at 14,050 tonnes.
The addition, Richardson said in a release, will also include a full cleaning line for wheat and canola, as well as a "full workhouse and a brand new office" to complement the existing elevator.
The project will also see the facility’s shipping capacity increased to 50,000 bushels per hour though an expanded 112-car spot, served by Canadian Pacific Railway, the company said.
Read Also
U.S. grains: Corn rebounds from contract lows on short covering, bargain buying
Bargain buying and short covering lifted U.S. corn futures on Monday after the market slid to contract lows on expectations for strong U.S. output, traders said.
Winnipeg construction firm FWS is to begin work at the site early in the new year for completion by spring 2013, the company said, adding that the elevator will be "fully operational" during the expansion.
That’s on top of construction already underway at the Estevan site on a 6,000-tonne fertilizer shed with a 200-tonne per hour blending tower, announced in July as part of the company’s $25 million plan for nine new fertilizer facilities across Western Canada.
The new project "will also allow us to achieve new efficiencies at this facility for our business and our customers," Darwin Sobkow, Richardson’s vice-president for agribusiness operations, said Thursday.
