Vancouver: Proposed North Shore grain terminal raises concerns

TIN news:   Both North Vancouver city and district are raising concerns about a planned $500-million state-of-the-art grain terminal that could be operating near the Second Narrows Bridge by late summer 2019.
“We want to make sure that first of all they adhere to the issues we raised, that it’s operating with noise and dust mitigation plans, and that its transportation doesn’t impact other businesses in the area,” said North Vancouver city Mayor Darrel Mussatto of the planned terminal by G3 Global Holdings. It is a partnership between Saudi Agricultural Livestock Investment Co. and commodity trader Bunge Ltd., which formed a joint venture with Western Stevedoring Co.
“We realize it’s not our decision to make, that it’s Port Metro Vancouver’s, but they should do this as safely as possible and as non-intrusive to the community as possible, and that it complies with all our fire regulations and seismic regulations and flood control regulations.
“We haven’t been asked whether we support it or not,” he said, adding that city staff visited a similar operation in Washington state and came away impressed.
“(But) we do have concerns, yes.”
Other items on the city’s wish list include a transportation study and impact plan for the consolidation of Western Stevedoring’s two waterfront terminals, a stormwater management plan, identifying any potential impacts on the Lynn Creek estuary adjacent to the property and mitigation measures for those impacts, using local labour and suppliers, and considering potential community amenities.
Now under consideration by Port Metro Vancouver, G3 anticipates approval for the massive project in May, with construction beginning in late summer on the terminal, which would be at the foot of Brooksbank Avenue in the city of North Vancouver.
The proposal includes removal of existing buildings and facilities, and construction of the huge new grain terminal and a berth for ships. An estimated six million tonnes of grain would be moved annually through the facility, which includes 48 concrete grain storage silos.
The grain would arrive by train and leave by ship. A rail loop would normally accommodate one or two trains of up to 135 cars daily.
According to G3, all cleaning and conveying equipment will have provisions for dust containment, including being totally enclosed.
G3 CEO Karl Gerrand said the project would provide between 175 and 200 construction jobs, and would have 50 to 60 permanent employees.
Gerrand said the terminal is needed because of aging infrastructure and rising global demand for Canada’s grain.
“Canada is world-renowned for its quality of grain, (which) is high demand in many countries, so the global markets are becoming stronger and stronger.”
He said many of the North Shore’s concerns have already been met.
“(A train) comes across (Burrard Inlet), turns, and goes right into our site and completely coils on our site, so all that North Shore (train) traffic that has concerned the local community doesn’t happen.
“If we’re successful in getting our permit … we’d be ready to take the harvest of 2019.”
He said the plant will be more modern than the four existing grain terminals on Burrard Inlet. “From a sound, light and dust perspective, it will be immaterial to the local community.
“And most importantly, instead of all the (train) cars being broken up and all that banging and jockeying (during unloading), which reverberates right up the North Shore, all of that sound is going to disappear because when our train comes on site, it idles along at three miles per hour and unloads as it’s moving.”
He said there would be very little truck traffic.
Dan Milburn, acting general manager, planning, properties and permits for the District of North Vancouver, said the district has also forwarded concerns to the port because the terminal site is near the city-district boundary and district residents could be affected.
He said the district’s concerns range from “potential traffic generation, to visual impacts, air quality impacts, noise impacts and potential safety issues (arising) from the development of that site.”
The proposed G3 terminal includes:
A grain storage facility of concrete storage silos served by an overhead conveyor system. The connected silos are 43 metres tall, but the structure hits 64 metres tall with the conveyor system.
The silos will be fed from of a grain cleaning facility 81 metres tall that will clean and direct grain(s) to storage.
The connected unloading facility, designed to unload cars while the train is moving, unloads to cars at once.
The existing dock deck will be redeveloped to support up to three ship-loading booms capable of handling a large post-Panamax size ship.
As part of the systems to collect grain dust, the company is considering converting that ‘dust’ into feed pellets to sell to livestock farmers.