Winnipeg-based agriculture
business Richardson International has applied for a permit to complete a $120 million
expansion of its terminal facility at Port Metro Vancouver.
The company says the expansion
is needed in order to increase storage capacity for grains and oilseeds to meet
growing global demand.
“Increasing storage capacity
at our Vancouver terminal is critical to our business,” Darwin Sobkow, Richardson’s
Vice President of Agribusiness Operations said. “By increasing storage capacity
and enhancing our operation, we will be better positioned to serve our farmer customers
and meet increasing demand for Canadian grains and oilseeds from end-use markets
worldwide.”
Richardson says its Vancouver
terminal is currently operating at maximum capacity, handling about three million
metric tons of grains and oilseeds each year. The company says that with growing
global demand, it expects to handle in excess of five MMT of grains and oilseeds
annually with additional storage capacity in Vancouver.
Richardson says it plans
to build an additional concrete grain storage annex with a total capacity of 80,000
metric tons at its Vancouver terminal. The proposed project includes the installation
of distribution equipment and an upgraded dust filtration system. By eliminating
existing steel storage bins, Richardson says it would net an additional 70,000 tons
of storage, bringing its total storage capacity at its Vancouver terminal to 178,000
metric tons.
The company says it believes
it’ll take about two years to complete Port Metro Vancouver’s permitting process.
