Federated Co-operatives Ltd (FCL) is planning wide-reaching upgrades and refurbishments at its 90-year-old refinery in Saskatchewan, Canada.
The works programme – which the co-op calls ‘annual turnaround’ – is set to last approximately 54 days and will focus on dismantling, repairing, maintaining and upgrading various sections at the complex, in the city of Regina, for “safety and reliability”.
It is expected to create around 1,600 temporary jobs in 2026, with more than 1,500 personnel on site at key times. The refinery will also deploy a security presence around the complex in order to manage access. In total, the turnaround will cost CA$150m and take 816,000 worker hours.
Brad DeLorey, director of communications and public affairs for FCL, called it a ‘very significant day”.
“Turnaround is how we ensure that our refinery can operate safely and meet regulatory requirements both now and into the future,” he added, and before highlighting knock-on benefits for the local economy. “When you take a look at the economic spin-off, the refinery swells to the population of a small town. Local businesses will certainly benefit.”
The complex supplies fuel to customers across Western Canada, while the federation itself represents more than 160 member co-ops. Last year, it reported annual sales of $11.7bn and $462m in net earnings, with $261m distributed in patronage to member organisations.
During the past five years, FCL says it has given back nearly $1.6bn to local co-ops, resulting in consistent support of more than 650 communities across Western Canada.
In the past, the refinery – which is the third largest in western Canada – has been the site of industrial action; in 2019, employees at the complex were ‘locked out’ amid a strike over pension contributions.
Image of the refinery: Quintin Soloviev/Wiki CC
