Plans are in the works for a nitrogen fertilizer plant to be built near Jamestown.
CHS, Incorporated – a farmer-owned cooperative – says it wants to build the plant at Spiritwood. It would be a $1.1 to $1.4 billion facility, using North Dakota natural gas to make anhydrous ammonia and other fertilizers.
"This would be a significant strategic investment for CHS," said Cooperative CEO Carl Casale. "It's the largest investment in the history of CHS. And we believe it would insure a consistent domestic nitrogen fertilizer supply for our farmer-owners."
In addition to the natural gas, the plant would use electricity from Great River Energy's Spiritwood station. And Casale said the site has water and transportation, to ship the fertilizer to market.
"You know there's potential there for profit to be made," said Gov. Jack Dalrymple. "I think, after a lot of analysis by a lot of very good, smart people, they've come to the conclusion that there is a compelling case to have a large scale fertilizer plant here in North Dakota."
Casale says the plan is to have the plant up and running by 2016. He says it would produce 22-hundred tons of fertilizer each day. It would employ 100 to 150 people.
