CHICAGO, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Ardent Mills' Port Redwing

flour mill near Tampa, Florida, "did not sustain any major

damage" from Hurricane Milton and the facility was partially

operating on Friday, said Troy Anderson, the company's vice

president of operations.

"Port Redwing and most of the Tampa Bay area is still

without power. We have a generator that is powering electricity

to some areas of the plant and our facility is up and running at

a reduced capacity," Anderson said in a statement.

The company is working to supply its customers, although

area-wide power outages and scarce fuel supplies have posed some

challenges, he added.

Hurricane Milton struck Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday as

a Category 3, causing widespread wind damage and flooding and

leaving millions without power. But the storm did not trigger

the catastrophic surge of seawater that had been feared.

The Port Redwing mill, opened in 2022 on the eastern bank of

Tampa Bay, can produce up to 1.8 million pounds (816,466 kg) of

flour a day from imported grain or wheat grown in the Midwest

and Southeast.

The hurricane-hardened facility, built with its first floor

12 feet (3.66 meters) above sea level, also escaped major flood

damage from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.

Ardent Mills is a joint venture between ConAgra Foods

, Cargill Inc and CHS Inc.