Darigold Announces Plans To Build $550M Facility In South Central Washington

Darigold plans to build a new state of the art facility near the Tri-Cities. The Port of Pasco announced Thursday the sale of approximately 150 acres of the Reimann Industrial Center to Darigold. Darigold said this purchase will allow them to construct the most sophisticated, large scale milk protein facility in North America, with more than 50% of the facility’s finished product set for export, with an emphasis on the Pacific Rim.

The new facility will reportedly provide more than 1,000 jobs between onsite, indirect, supply chain and services. When operational the new facility will reportedly cut per unit emissions by 25% compared to existing dairy operations. Darigold said it will deploy anaerobic digestion technology as part of the on-site wastewater treatment strategy and use the extracted methane as a natural gas substitute, reducing fossil fuel use. This will be complemented by best-in-class machinery that enables heat and energy recovery and reuse. In addition, the new infrastructure is designed to accommodate future electric vehicles, including a potential conversion of Darigold’s large fleet of semi-trucks — further reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation.

The new protein and butter operation is set to open in early 2022, with full commercial production targeted for late 2023.

“As commissioners, we’re excited by Darigold’s decision to locate at the Reimann. As Darigold invests approximately $500 million, this is the largest private industrial development to ever occur at the Port of Pasco,” said Commission President Jim Klindworth. “The new jobs at the plant and the new jobs at dairy farms create extraordinary opportunities for Franklin County residents.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Darigold to Pasco and the Reimann as the anchor tenant in the Port’s largest industrial park. It’s incredibly rare to attract a project of this size and scope,” Executive Director Randy Hayden said. “Darigold’s state-of-the-art facility will use the latest technology, serve as a model of sustainability, and create a new market for our region’s ag producers.”

“Our local and state partners creatively rolled up their sleeves to launch a plan that makes it possible to deliver critical infrastructure to the Reimann to serve the Darigold project,” Hayden added. “We’re especially grateful for the Washington State Legislature’s support of $7.5 million to cover part of the costs for water, wastewater, roads, and rail improvements.  The City of Pasco, Franklin County, Franklin PUD and TRIDEC are also making key investments.

“I am proud that Darigold recognized the benefits and the potential of the Port of Pasco for this major investment that will revitalize our rural economy,” said Central Washington Representative Dan Newhouse.  “This new Darigold plant will create over a thousand local jobs while providing important state-of-the-art processing for our region’s dairy producers.  I look forward to their continued innovation and investment in our district.”

The Port of Pasco and Darigold expect to close on the land sale within the next 120 to 180 days.

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