Winnipeg grain company Paterson Grain is expanding its network of grain handling facilities into the United States.
Paterson has been given a green light to build a new grain terminal at Bottineau, North Dakota, about 60 kilometres south of Deloraine Man., and 20 kilometres south of the Canada-U.S. border.
Officials in Bottineau confirmed March 12 that city councilors approved a conditional use permit that will allow Paterson to build a grain terminal and loop track siding on the south side of the city.
Reports say the project has an estimated price tag of $20 to $25 million, with construction expected to begin as early as this spring.
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City officials in Bottineau said the grain company is expected to apply for building permits in the near future.
Paterson currently ranks as the fifth largest grain handling company in Canada with a total of 28 elevators in Western Canada and total storage capacity of nearly 550,000 tonnes.
It currently has 13 elevators in Manitoba, 13 in Saskatchewan and two in Alberta.
Many of those elevators are located in close proximity to the Canada-U.S. border, but the proposed Bottineau project will be Paterson’s first facility on American soil.
Paterson did not immediately respond to Western Producer requests for additional information, but according to a news story published recently in the Bottineau Courant, the Paterson facility will have a total storage capacity of 1.37 million bushels, including two 630,000 bu. steel bins and 10 additional steel bins with capacity of nearly 11,000 bu. each.
“This facility … would represent the first move by Paterson into the U.S. market in its 107-year history,” Paterson’s corporate development officer, Shane Paterson, told the newspaper.
The facility will be used to receive both Canadian and U.S. grains and oilseeds, he added.
The proposed facility would be located on a spur line owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF).
Paterson has indicated that it will work with BNSF to ensure that necessary upgrades are performed on the line, which is currently nearing the end of its life cycle.
brian.cross@producer.com
