A huge fertilizer storage facility is being built in the Gibson Yard part of Hammond. The facility that employs between 100 and 120 contract employees working on a daily basis is expected to be completed in 2016. The construction site is part of the PotashCorp’s new Hammond Regional Distribution Centre. Company’s spokesman, Randy Burton, said that PotashCorp has been “very happy with both the quality and availability of the local labour force.”
The Canadian-based PotashCorp’s Saskatchewan mine is approximately 1,200 miles away from Hammond, which is only half way to some of the firm’s customers in Florida. PotashCorp, the world’s largest fertilizer producer, is building the storage facility in Hammond to be able to ship its products faster to its final destination. The new facility, which will be able to house about 120,000 tons of potash, will be equipped with the state-of-the-art technologies. The company said that it would possibly use the facility to store some nitrogen and phosphate rail cars as well.
The storage facility is part of the two-phase project. The first stage of the project – a rail yard with the capacity for up to 1,000 rail cars – was opened in April 2012. According to Mr Burton, the delay in the second phase was caused by unplanned engineering and site preparation to account for unforeseen site conditions. He added that PotashCorp’s most recent estimate for the cost of the project is $72 million, which is $3 million lower than the original $75 million. The cost covers the rail yard, the warehouse, rail unloading and truck loading capabilities, conveyance systems and an office. Once ready, the site should provide full-time employment to three to five people and to 25 people in total when combined with new railroad facilities.
