STETTLER, Alberta – Great Plains MDF announced plans to construct a $750 million straw fiber MDF mill near Stettler Airport.

When completed, the company said the plant will consist of a 1-million-square-foot factory capable of producing up to 500 million square feet of MDF on a ¾-inch basis per year on a pair of continuous press lines. At peak capacity, Great Plains MDF said the mill will utilize 2,500 metric tons of straw fiber a day and directly employ up to 700 workers. The panels will be bonded with a non-formaldehyde polyurethane resin. In addition, the company envisions that the plant will supply its own electrical and heat needs through a co-generation plant and will include a value-added manufacturing facility. 

The company’s website touts: “Great Plains has arrived at a time and a place in history when the world is ready for it.”

“Great Plains MDF today takes its first major step towards bringing the technology we have spent years developing into a commercial production facility,” said Brian McLeod, president and chairman of Great Plains. “Our agricultural fiber MDF board plant will directly employ hundreds of Albertans both during the construction and operations phases…. Great Plains MDF wants to help lead a recovery while showing the world that the most environmentally and carbon friendly advancements are being developed right here in Alberta.”

The front-end engineering and design of the plant is financially backed by Dieffenbacher GmbH and Anlagenbau of Eppingen, Germany.

“Dieffenbacher has a long history in wood and fiber-based automated high-production engineered board production lines around the world and we are pleased to expand our Canadian presence with this partnership with Great Plains MDF,” said Dieffenbacher President Christian Dieffenbacher. “We see a great future in this straw fiber technology and look forward to a long partnership.”

The project will also supply its own electrical and heat needs through a co-generation plant and will include a value-added manufacturing facility to maximize economic and employment opportunities.