CLYDE — Nutrien Ag Solutions is looking to expand its operations in the Clyde area by installing a vessel containing liquidized anhydrous ammonia, which is widely used as a fertilizer by the agriculture industry.
Martin Van den Heever, the area manager for all of Nutrien's retail locations in northern Alberta, delivered a presentation on their planned expansion to Village of Clyde councillors at their May 13 meeting.
According to the company's website, Nutrien Ag Solutions — a subsidiary of Nutrien Ltd. — is the leading provider of agricultural products and services for western Canadian growers. Its operations include facilities in Westlock and Clyde, with the latter being a retail location.
One of the company's main services is the selling of anhydrous ammonia (NH3), which farmers use to supply nitrogen to their crops. In its gaseous state, it is highly corrosive but is stored as a liquid in pressurized vessels.
Van der Heever said they are planning to expand their Clyde location to the three acres south of the facility by installing a vessel that's currently sitting at their facility in Dapp.
The reason for this move, he said, is the tremendous cost involved in servicing the vessel at Dapp, which he estimated to be just over $200,000 a year.
Moving the vessel would also allow the company to service customers in the Thorhild area, which is currently not feasible.
The move would entail some initial ground work followed by the moving of the vessel, with a rough completion target of August.
He also suggested that they may look at moving another vessel sitting at a location roughly 26 miles northwest of Westlock, as it's placed next to some land recently purchased by a farmer who no longer wants the vessel there. However, that move would occur next year, if not later.
Acknowledging the dangers involved in handling anhydrous ammonia, which can become a toxic gas if exposed to air and has been tied to some deaths, Van der Heever said there was no way they could make such a proposal a decade ago due to the Clyde location's proximity to the highway. (The Clyde facility's address is listed as Range Road 252, Helliwell Lake Road.)
However, thanks to the march of technology, they now have automatic shutoff systems that can prevent a release before it occurs.
“Ten years ago, it would be an issue because we didn’t have the correct shutoff systems," he said. “If there is any release or any ... incident at the vessel itself, it will shut off before it even hits the hoses."
Van der Heever said there will be a manual shutoff connected to the Clyde retail location that staff can press if there's a problem.
He also outlined many of the safety measures and training that their staff undergo in order to handle the product safely, such as undergoing a week-long course at a facility in Saskatchewan that replicates emergency scenarios.
When asked how many people this expansion would potentially employ, Van Der Heever said they would probably add another four to five driver positions and at least one maintenance position, noting that drivers are hired in-house in order to ensure safety.
Council ultimately passed a motion to accept Van der Heever's presentation for information.
