Potash

Potash is used to produce crop nutrients that help meet the growing global demand for food.  Crop nutrients play an important role in maintaining and increasing crop yields.  The global demand for crop nutrients has grown over the last decade, particularly in developing countries. 

Project Albany

Project Albany is a proposed three million tonne per year solution potash mine.  It is situated on potash permit KP405, which covers approximately 24,751 hectares of land and is located approximately 30 kilometres southeast of Regina, SK, in the RM's of Lajord and Francis.

Project Albany sits on the southern margin of the Elk Point Basin within the Devonian Prairie Evaporite sequence.  Three major potash beds including the Patience Lake, the Belle Plaine and the Esterhazy are the focus of the proposed project.

Solution Potash Mining

Solution potash mining, unlike conventional potash mining which involves moving tonnes of earth to access a mineral resource, includes the installation of injection and recovery wells into the resource.  From there, a heated brine solution is injected into the deposit, which dissolves the potash salts and results in development of a cavern.  The dissolved salts are then pumped out of the cavern to the surface where the brine is evaporated, either artificially or in evaporation ponds leaving behind salt and potash.

Once the potash minerals are on the surface and separated from the brine, the processing to form the final product is the same for either conventional or solution mining.

Water Source

Water supply options, in conjunction with the Water Security Agency (WSA), will be conducted to identify a sustainable water source.

Community Benefits of Project Albany

Project Albany will have significant benefits for the local and regional economy.  Benefits include the creation of jobs, purchase of supplies and services and payment of taxes and royalties to the Province of Saskatchewan.