Prairie Clean Energy secures financing for flax facility in Weyburn

Saskatchewan-based Prairie Clean Energy (PCE) announced it has secured financing from Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and Weyburn Credit Union to support its flax processing facility in Weyburn.

Chief executive officer of PCE Mark Cooper is happy FCC and the Credit Union were willing to partner, as it is the culmination of a long period of talks.

Cooper says a gradual increase in production is planned between now and the end of next year. Starting this fall, the facility will handle five tons per hour of straw input, producing about two and a half tons of pellets per hour and about two tons of fiber per hour, with one crew working 40 hours a week.

He said about six people will be working there full time by the end of this month, and Cooper expects a total of 30 jobs will be created at this facility, along with 20 indirect jobs—local balers to collect the straw and truckers to move the straw and ship the product to customers—once it runs at full scale.

"We're excited to get into production. We have customers waiting for the product, and some products will start shipping in October, more in November, and I expect that folks across the prairies will be seeing our product in stores and available for them to purchase for their own use here before Christmas time, which is very exciting,” added Cooper.

Supply in the short term will be abundant as Prairie Clean Energy secured over 25,000 tonnes of flax straw from this year's harvest, along with more than 60,000 acres of flax straw under long-term right-of-first-refusal agreements with farmers across the prairies, mostly in Saskatchewan.