September 13, 2012
US CHS Inc. intends to build North Dakota fertiliser plant
As it sets to open in the last half of 2016, CHS Inc. said on Wednesday (Sep 12) it plans to build a US$1 billion nitrogen fertiliser plant in Spiritwood, North Dakota.
The proposed plant will convert natural gas into 2,200 tonnes of ammonia fertiliser daily, and distribute it as anhydrous ammonia, urea and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) liquid fertiliser to farm supply retailers and farmers in the Dakotas and parts of Minnesota, Montana and Canada, CHS said.
The plant would employ 100-150 people, CHS said.
"Today CHS imports fertiliser products from 19 countries. Developing additional domestic crop nutrients sources closer to our customers is critical to meeting demand, improving our logistical and distribution expertise," Carl Casale, chief executive for Minnesota-based CHS, said in a statement.
The US is the world's largest importer of fertiliser, with more than half the country's nitrogen and nearly 90% of its potash supplies coming from international sources, according to the Fertiliser Institute.
CHS, a leader in the crop nutrients business, sources and distributes some seven million tonnes of fertilisers annually to farmer-member co-ops across the US.