The potash project aims to evaluate and optimize the horizontal solution mining method in Saskatchewan, and to study how the method can be replicated for full-scale potash production
Image: Milestone Phase I Potash Project site. Photo: courtesy of Western Resources Corp.
Western Potash, a subsidiary of Western Resources, has started its drilling programme at the Milestone Phase I Potash Project in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Details of the Milestone Phase I Potash Project
The objective of the Milestone Phase I Potash Project is to evaluate and optimize the horizontal solution mining method in Saskatchewan, and to study how the method can be applied for the full-scale production of potash. The potash project is located 35km southeast of Regina.
According to Western Resources, the project will initially target the high-grade potash bed by using advanced horizontal drilling techniques, and then, will use selective dissolution to preferentially leach the potash to the surface.
The Canadian company claimed that the Milestone Phase I Potash Project will be the first potash mine in the world which will not leave any salt tailings on the surface, thereby reducing consumption of water by a significant extent.
The drilling programme at the potash project will be for nearly four months and will involve six wells that will be connected to three caverns. Each of the caverns will have an injection well under the potash bed and also a connected withdrawal well which will return the brine back to the surface.
Subject to successful drilling and receipt of relevant regulatory approvals, the caverns will initially start ‘cold mining’ to increase their sizes and to saturate the brine with salt in preparation for production. After this, ‘hot mining’ will be undertaken to recirculate brine into the caverns and selectively extract the resulting KCl (10% potassium oxide K2O) for creating an inventory of potash in the crystallization pond.
The processing plant of the Milestone Phase I Potash Project will be built by mid-2020 and will be ready to harvest the potash inventory in the pond. Subsequently, the processing plant will de-brine, dry and compact the potash, which will be transported to a nearby distribution centre.
Western Resources president and CEO Bill Xue said: “Western Potash Corp. is very pleased to have reached this milestone on the Project. Our strong project team enabled us to reach this milestone in line with our schedule.
“We are very confident that this project will lead to the world’s first selective solution potash mine that leaves no surface tailings in Saskatchewan.”