CNS Canada –– A month after an explosion crippled the Louis Dreyfus Commodities canola crushing plant at Yorkton, Sask., it’s still unclear when operations will resume.
LDC Canada’s vice-president Brian Conn issued a statement Tuesday outlining its “preliminary assessment” of the situation.
While the investigation is ongoing, Dreyfus’ assessment so far indicates the Oct. 24 fire which caused the blast started in the meal loadout tower, causing dust to ignite.
The flames then spread through the tunnel to the canola meal pellet storage shed, Conn said.
Yorkton’s Fire Protective Services Department attended the fire, and one person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
At this stage, Conn said, Dreyfus is testing controls, procedures and processes at the facility and plans to resume operating “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The Yorkton plant, which opened in 2009, has the capacity to crush 850,000 tonnes of canola per year, producing 350,000 tonnes of oil and 500,000 tonnes of meal.
