Argus noted several new Western Canada forming projects that could boost sulfur trading out of Alberta into Vancouver dry-bulk markets. Extra forming capacity is a prerequisite for converting blocked or molten oil-sands sulfur into seaborne granules when FOB prices clear remelt and rail costs. The trends piece is at https://www.bcinsight.crugroup.com/2021/07/31/ammonia-and-sulphur-market-trends/.
Heartland Sulphur completed a new molten storage tank on 30 June 2021 at its Industrial Heartland terminal, more than doubling molten storage. The terminal, a Lion Sulphur-Inter-Chem joint venture, provides remelt and forming so Alberta producers can reach Vancouver dry-bulk and North American molten rail. August 2021 is that node plus unnamed further projects in Argus's note. South Cheecham's 2023 start is the later named project.
Alberta recovered sulfur still leaves mainly through the Vancouver stem. USGS Canada about 4.9 million tonnes in 2021 is the recovered book. VFPA 2.29 million tonnes is the Pacific solid slice. The gap is molten rail, domestic use, and pour to block. Forming projects close the gap when FOB pays. They do not close it when FOB is 2020-soft. 2021 mid-year Tampa about $192 was starting to pay. The harbour's down year shows stems lag prices.
Sultran's nine inland facilities, CN and CPKC, more than 1,500 gondolas, Port Moody and North Vancouver, is the rail-and-terminal half. Forming is the inland half. Argus's project note is the forming half being built. Take-or-pay sulphur services, in later Keyera language, are how forming gets financed when weekly FOB is a coin flip.
BC Insight's sour-gas decline and oil-sands offset is why forming must move toward Fort McMurray, not only Edmonton. Heartland is Edmonton remelt depth. Cheecham would be upgrader-belt forming. August 2021 has Heartland. It does not yet have Cheecham. The project pipeline is the file.
Export-process costs often later cited above $150 per tonne are the hurdle these projects must clear. Mid-2021 FOB last seen around early 2014, BC Insight, was approaching that neighbourhood on a delivered basis after freight. 2022's $478 cleared it easily. 2022's $65 did not. Forming built in 2021 lived through both.
Licensed weekly grids are not restated. The several-projects note is Argus via BC Insight, not a project list reprinted here.
Figures follow Argus. Western Canada forming projects in 2021 are the logistics chapter that 2022-25 Vancouver volume growth would use.