Site selected for Canada’s first wheat straw pulp mill

KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — Red Leaf Pulp Ltd., developer of a proprietary wheat straw-based pulp mill, announced on June 2 that the company will locate its initial facility in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

The company has secured properties on the west side of Regina and will begin building the C$350 million facility in early 2022.

The plant will be the first of its kind in Canada and have the capacity to produce approximately 182,000 tonnes of market pulp annually from waste wheat straw collected and aggregated from local producers. It is expected to create 110 full-time jobs, and 250 jobs during construction.

“Red Leaf is delighted to be locating in Regina and we look forward to working with the community, local businesses and the region’s growers,” said Martin Pudlas, chief executive officer of Red Leaf Pulp. “We have an opportunity to enhance the utilization of existing resources and diversify revenue sources in the ag-industry while creating a lower carbon future.

“We want to thank communities across Saskatchewan for their support, interest and assistance during the location evaluation process. Ultimately Regina’s proximity to major infrastructure and a significant workforce were key considerations in our choice for the initial plant site.”

Regina mayor Sandra Masters said being chosen as the site of the new mill is a major victory for the city.

“This facility allows our city continued diversified growth in the urban-agricultural economy,” she said. “It will highlight innovation in one of our core industries, maximize crop value in an environmentally sustainable way and provide valuable jobs in the low carbon energy sector.”

Red Leaf was established in 2019 by Darby Kreitz, the founder of Allnorth Consultants, a 500-person engineering firm with offices across Canada and in Atlanta, Georgia, US. Allnorth has experience in the design and commissioning of non-wood pulp mills in the United States and Europe, in addition to 26 years providing engineering services to the conventional wood pulp and paper industry.

Source: World Grain