Public consultations kicked off this week on a proposed expansion of Richardson International’s grain export terminal in North Vancouver.
Richardson, Canada’s second largest grain handling company, is proposing a $120 million expansion of its facility located on the north shore of Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet.
The project would add roughly 70,000 tonnes of storage capacity to the existing terminal facility and would allow the company to boost annual handlings to more than five million tonnes.
The terminal currently handles about three million tonnes of grain and oilseeds per year and has a storage capacity of roughly 108,000 tonnes, but company officials say it is operating at maximum capacity.
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“Increasing storage capacity at our Vancouver terminal is critical to our business,” said Darwin Sobkow, Richardson’s vice-president of agribusiness operations.
“By increasing storage capacity and enhancing our operation, we will be better positioned to serve our farmer customers and meet increasing demand for Canadian grain and oilseeds from end-use markets worldwide.”
According to documents filed with the Port Metro Vancouver in late August, the proposed expansion would include the demolition of three existing storage bins and the construction of two 40,000 tonne concrete storage annexes.
The project would also include new dust filtration systems, new conveyor equipment and support towers, upgraded road access and a reconfiguration of the existing rail infrastructure.
The project would create hundreds of temporary jobs during construction and 40 to 50 permanent positions once the upgrades are completed, said company president Curt Vossen in an Oct. 1 news release.
Before the project goes ahead, Richardson must consult with local residents, business owners, First Nations groups and North Vancouver city councilors.
The consultation process, which began today and continues until Oct. 19, will give community stakeholders and other interested parties an opportunity to review the project and provide feedback.
A complete list containing the times and locations of all stakeholder meetings can be viewed at http://www.richardson.ca/news/vancouver-grain-terminal.
If approved, the project would take two years to complete with construction work expected to begin in late 2012 and conclude in July 2014.
In a separate project, Richardson recently spent $20 million adding a second rail unload pit that would allow the company to double its rail car unloading capacity to 300 cars per day from 150 currently.
