Northern Plains Nitrogen's long-proposed fertilizer plant in Grand Forks is aiming to start construction in early 2027, CEO Clark Bailey told the Grand Forks City Council on Monday, Nov. 9, according to the Grand Forks Herald and KNOX Radio. Financing is not yet confirmed, KNOX reported, and the company is still looking for investors and has no development agreement with the city, the Herald reported.
The Details
- What: A plant making about 1 million tons of granulated urea fertilizer a year, which KNOX reported is smaller than earlier plans.
- Cost: About $2.37 billion, down from an earlier estimate of $2.56 billion, per KNOX.
- When: The company is targeting a final investment decision by early 2027, KNOX reported, with construction in early 2027 and commercial operation in the second half of 2030, the Herald reported. A company official told the Herald that start-up commissioning is timed to when the company expects natural gas to be available.
- Where: When the project was announced in 2013, the Herald placed the site on the city's north side, next to the municipal wastewater lagoons.
The Backstory
The project was announced in 2013 as a $1.5 billion plant, Area Development reported at the time, and the target dates have kept slipping. Initial plans called for breaking ground in 2015 and operating by 2017, KNOX reported. In January 2022, the Herald reported that work could start "as early as 2022" if financing came through. KNOX reported in December 2023 that the company was still searching for investors. This week the Herald reported that the company was not approved for the federal FIELDS fertilizer program.
What It Means for Grand Forks
Water: The plant would rely on reused wastewater from the city, according to coverage of the project since 2013. On Monday the council gave preliminary approval to extend the company's letter of intent on industrial water supply and discharge from Dec. 31, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027, KNOX reported. City Administrator Todd Feland said the city cannot approve any site development until a development agreement is signed, and that agreement depends on the company securing an investor, KNOX and the Herald reported.
Jobs: In an October 2025 application to the state's Clean Sustainable Energy Authority, the company said the plant would create 118 permanent jobs. Earlier estimates were higher: about 135 permanent workers in 2013, Area Development reported, and about 200 operating employees plus up to 3,000 construction workers, the Herald reported in January 2022.
Fertilizer supply: The Herald reported in June 2026 that the proposal was getting renewed attention because of global fertilizer supply pressure on area farmers.
Feland told the council the timeline is "aggressive" and will likely take longer than estimated, though he wants to see the project move forward, the Herald reported.
What to Watch
- Final approval of the water letter-of-intent extension at a coming council meeting.
- Whether a development agreement reaches the council. None has been signed, Feland said.
- The company's project page: northernplainsnitrogen.com
