Regina’s hopes of becoming a canola processing powerhouse appear to be crushed, with a second project now in corporate limbo.
According to a March report from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, crush capacity in Canada will increase to more than 14 million metric tonnes once Cargill’s new crush facility outside Regina comes online in fall 2025, marking a 28 per cent increase in national capacity since 2021.
Despite the growth, it has fallen short of the 59 per cent expectation. The Cargill facility was supposed to be just one third of an expected ramp up in Canadian canola capacity, alongside projects for a joint canola crush and renewable diesel plant from Federated Co-op and AGT Foods and a second pure canola crush plant operated by Viterra.
The renewable diesel plant was placed on indefinite pause in January. The Department of Agriculture report indicates the Viterra project is also headed for a similar fate.
“Viterra’s plan to construct a new canola crush plant, initially announced in 2021, is in limbo as of 2024 after Bunge’s acquisition of Viterra,” the report said. “It is under review, but industry contacts say plant construction is unlikely to go ahead.”
The facility was planned to process 2.5 million metric tonnes of canola.
In a statement to CTV News Monday, Viterra did not confirm or deny any details surrounding the plant - pointing to its merger with U.S. based Bunge.
“With our announced business combination with Bunge, our team remains focused on regulatory approvals and integration planning to ensure a smooth transition for our customers across our complementary asset network,” the statement read.
“We expect to complete the merger shortly, and we should be able to provide an update in the near future."
Construction on Cargill’s plant continues west of Regina, the company projecting an opening date in the second half of 2025.
