CF Industries To Own Plant

CF Industries is buying out the 34% interest in a fertilizer plant in Medicine Hat, Alberta, owned by the Canadian agricultural distribution firm Viterra, for $920 million, giving CF full ownership of the facility. The Medicine Hat plant, which goes by the name of Canadian Fertilizers, has capacity for 1.25 million metric tons of ammonia and 810,000 tons of urea per year. CF has operated the facility for 35 years. Viterra had previously purchased 34% of the plant’s output, which will now go to CF. The deal, which CF says will allow it to take greater advantage of cheap local natural gas feedstocks, is subject to the completion of the purchase of Viterra by the Swiss commodity marketing firm Glencore.