International Potato Tour visit to Lipetsk Oblast. One of the stops: Aurora’s multi-site storage hub
Aurora is building a high-throughput, container-first storage system designed around uniform ventilation and rapid shipping for processors.
What’s on the ground
- Build-out by phases. Phase 1: two initial stores erected “from zero” on a greenfield site. Phase 2: a 10k-t and a 3k-t store. Phase 3: another 10k-t store plus a new 3k-t seed facility now finishing.
- Current capacities. Commodity potato storage on two sites totals ~32k t; seed storage ~9k t. A third site adds ~25–30k t (depending on stack height). After two more planned ~3k-t silos (“banks”), the system targets ~110–120k t aggregate capacity.
- Throughput. Up to ~800 t per 12-hour shift (peaks of 1,200–1,300 t/day) thanks to tailored loading buckets and flat floors with ventilation ducts that allow standard forklifts to work quickly.
- Room size. Typical chambers hold ~2,300–2,500 t.
Airflow & storage discipline
- Slotted (air) floors deliver even, continuous airflow through the pile or between bins, speeding wound healing and reducing rot pressure versus classic duct runs.
- Cleanability. Post-season, air galleries are fully accessible for mechanical cleaning; inspection walkways allow safe checks over piles.
- Containers. Interior-sanded bins, marked floor grids for exact placement, and bin-level labeling improve traceability and picking.
Field side
- Irrigation. Aurora is shifting acreage to pivots; all production — including seed — is under irrigation on these sites, with ~1,000 ha recently added.
- Varieties. Seed rooms currently hold Challenger; for this region’s ~120-day season, Innovator often performs more reliably. Typical yields cited: ~55–60 t/ha here.
- Soils. Heavier upland soils are tempered by lighter, old flood-plain fields along the Don within rotation.
For processors
Lots can be processed the day of shipment; with finished product stored at ~18 °C, deliveries to QSR networks can reach restaurants within about a week, depending on logistics.
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At a glance
- Sites: 3 (two active, one expanding)
- Capacity (now / target): ~41k t (incl. seed) → 110–120k t
- Throughput: ~800 t/shift, peaks 1,200–1,300 t/day
- Storage mode: container-dominant + slotted floors
- Irrigation: 100% of production (incl. seed)
Prepared within the International Potato Tour for Potatoes News.
