A quarter billion dollar expansion of Simplot’s largest nitrogen producing operation in Brandon, Man. is running behind schedule.
But considering workers there are piecing together an abandoned ammonia plant the company bought, dismantled and shipped here from Sicily, the construction boss says he’s pleased with the progress.
“We had a problem in one of the vessels but the guys are working on that right now,” said construction co-ordinator Tony Tarr.
“There were cracks in the metal that we didn’t see until it got to the site.”
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The Brandon ammonia plant will become a nitrogen-based fertilizer manufacturer when the $230 million project is complete in October or early November, said Reid Lumbard, public relations manager for Simplot. It was supposed to be running by August.
Ammonia production at the plant in Brandon’s east side will triple to 1,600 tonnes per day.
The company manufactures ammonia, urea, ammonium nitrate and urea-ammonium nitrate. Both the ammonia production facility and the urea solution plants are being upgraded.
The dismantled reactors arrived in Brandon by flat-bed rail car last June. They were shipped from Sicily on three boats to Houston, Texas, refurbished and sent on barges up the Mississippi to Minneapolis before reaching Brandon. Lumbard said that was cheaper than buying a new ammonia plant.
Simplot has no plans to hire more staff other than the 700 hired for construction.
