The Saskatchewan potash mine under construction by Gensource Potash will not need tailings ponds, CBC reported Gensource chief executive Mike Ferguson.
Construction of the mine will take around two years, Ferguson said. The mine aims to produce 250,000 tonnes of potash annually.
The Tugaske potash mine is employing selective solution mining to minimise the amount of water used in the process, Ferguson said. Sodium chloride brine will be injected into the ore body, which dissolves potash while leaving the salt in place.
The potassium-chloride brine is then processed to cool and solidify the potassium-chloride, while sodium chloride is reheated and recirculated.
Potash mines generally require four kilogrammes of water to produce one kilogramme of potash, while the Tugaske will need only 1.5 kilogrammes, Ferguson told CBC.
The mine will be the first potash mine in the province without tailing ponds, Ferguson said.
Tugaske will also use natural gas power instead of coal, which it says will avoid up to 24,500 tonnes per year of carbon dioxide emotions.
The smaller-scale mine presents a model that is scalable and repeatable, Gensource says.
Gensource has signed an offtake agreement with German chemical and fertiliser company Helm AG, which will take 100% of the potash Tugaske produces.
Saskatchewan is home to several large-scale potash mines, including BHP's Jansen mine. BHP has also worked to decrease water use by as much as 60%. Jansen will produce approximately 8 million tonnes per annum once running. The mine is expected to begin operations in 2027, and has an estimated mine life of up to 100 years.
