Caterpillar & Sun Select Produce Announce Plans For Greenhouse Collaboration

Caterpillar Inc. and SunSelect Produce, Inc., known for producing premium greenhouse-grown vegetables for more than 30 years, today announced a strategic collaboration that will take the waste products of Caterpillar’s combined heat and power cogeneration facility in Mossville, Illinois, and put them to productive use in SunSelect hydroponic greenhouses. The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals, satisfactory due diligence, permitting and closing conditions. 

SunSelect will purchase real estate adjacent to Caterpillar’s energy generation facility, Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems (ATPS), to construct a hydroponic greenhouse. The greenhouse is expected to utilize excess thermal energy and carbon dioxide from ATPS’s natural gas fired turbines. By providing low grade heat and abundant CO2, the collaboration will maximize healthy plant production in the SunSelect facility and allow for more efficient use of Caterpillar’s power generation plant.

"We're optimistic about what this project will mean for our local community, bringing new jobs to the area and a new option for locally-grown produce to consumers," said Frank Crespo, Caterpillar vice president and chief procurement officer with responsibility for ATPS. “This project also perfectly exemplifies Caterpillar’s commitment to sustainability – which seeks a balance of environmental stewardship, economic growth and social responsibility."

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