The sod-turning ceremony for the expansion of the Bunge plant in Altona was held last July. (Left to right) Bunge Operations Manager for Canada Mark Roe, Country Manager Rick Watson, Chairman and C.E.O. Alberto Weisser, Portage Lisgar M.P. Candice Hoeppner, Provincial Ag Minister (at the time) Stan Struthers, Bunge C.E.O. for North America Soren Schroeder, Plant Manager Fred Dueck and Altona Mayor Melvin Klassen.

The timeline for expansion of the Bunge canola plant in Altona has been extended, according to a company spokesperson.

Deb Siedel says "unexpected delays in the delivery of some equipment" now have the company hoping to complete the expansion by mid-2013.

Bunge's original plan was to see processing capacity at the plant more than double - from 1,100 to 2,500 metric tonnes per day - in time to process the 2012 crop.

"The scope of the project has not changed," Seidel says.

Construction crews have been drilling piers and conducting concrete work at the site throughout the winter.

The current canola crush facility will be shut down once the new plant comes online. Many of the current structures will be taken down, with some parts repurposed in the new facility.