Another New Canola Facility Announced for Saskatchewan

Another new canola processing facility is on tap for Saskatchewan.

Minneapolis-based Ceres Global announced Tuesday it will build a new $350 million canola facility at Northgate in the southeastern part of the province near the US border. The plant will have capacity to process 1.1 million tonnes of canola and refine over 500,000 tonnes of canola oil, for both food and fuel, annually.

Robert Day, President and Chief Executive Officer at Ceres, cited growing demand for oilseed crush in North America, particularly as it relates to biofuel, as the motivation behind the plant. “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.

This marks the third new canola project to be announced for Saskatchewan in as many months. In March, Winnipeg-based Richardson International Ltd. said it planned to double the capacity of its canola processing plant at Yorkton to 2.2 million tonnes, an expansion aimed at meeting ‘an ever-growing global demand for canola oil and canola meal products.’

And in April, Cargill announced plans to build a 1-million tonne capacity canola plant at Regina. As part of the same announcement, Cargill also said it also planned to update and modernize its canola facilities in Camrose and Clavet to increase volume and broaden capabilities at both locations.

The Ceres facility is expected to be operational by summer 2024, and with a direct connection to BNSF Railway, it will provide efficient access to the US market and US ports.

Together with its affiliated companies, Ceres operates 13 locations across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Minnesota. These facilities have an aggregate grain and oilseed storage capacity of approximately 32 million bu.