$325M Ethanol Plant in Saskatchewan to Use Barley as Feedstock
A proposed $325 million ethanol plant to be built near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada could provide a significant boost for local barley growers.
The plant - Prairie Green Renewable Energy (PGRE) - would be the largest in Western Canada, producing 196 million liters of ethanol per year from local barley and peas, and would be located in close proximity to Cargill’s crushing facility in Clavet, Saskatchewan.
Barley production in the region has fallen off in recent years, declining from 5.1 million acres in 2000 to 2.3 million acres this year. This plant will open a new market for the grain, providing a buyer for the barley that doesn’t qualify for malting. If growers have a year when their barley is damaged by fusarium, the plant is equipped to process out 95 percent of the mycotoxin, giving farmers an alternative option for their crop.
As a byproduct, the plant will also produce 228,000 tons of feed per year for the pet, dairy, poultry, and aquaculture sectors, and PGRE is currently in talks with potential customers.
Katzen International has been selected to construct the plant, with building scheduled to begin in the fall of 2018, and completion expected some time in late 2020.
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