Viterra plans to build supersized canola crush plant in Regina, Saskatchewan

Ag network company Viterra plans to build a new canola crushing facility in Regina, Saskatchewan. The company says it’s in the feasibility stage to finalize the plant’s capabilities and design. The initial targeted annual crush capacity of the project is 2.5 million metric tons. If plans materialize, Viterra says this would be the world’s largest integrated canola crush facility.

“Viterra is a large global player in the oilseed crushing industry, with quality assets throughout our agriculture network,” said David Mattiske, CEO of Viterra. “Over the years we have made a number of strategic investments in Canada and we are excited at the potential opportunity to further enhance our processing business. We look forward to leveraging our expertise at this new state of the art facility, and connecting our customers to additional opportunities within our supply chain.”

According to Viterra, this new canola crush plant will play a key role in supplying feedstock required for biobased diesel production. “The additional production is vital to support the federal government’s intended Clean Fuel Standard, which aims to help reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions,” the company stated.

Kyle Jeworski, CEO of Viterra North America, said, “We are pleased to have the opportunity to pursue this substantial and historic investment in our asset network, which demonstrates our confidence in the future of western Canadian canola production. Through this project, we will be able to further leverage our strong relationships with farm customers and support Saskatchewan’s growth plan for expanded value-added processing capacity. Further, this project will have a long-lasting and positive local economic impact, both in terms of employment related to the facility’s construction and permanent employment once the plant is up and running.”

If Viterra moves forward on construction, which depends on many factors including permitting, licensing and third-party agreements, the company anticipates the facility to be operational in late 2024.

Cargill announced its decision to build a new $350 million canola crush plant in Regina just days ago. Cargill’s new complex is being scaled to process 1 million tons of canola per year.