Jansen is an under-construction potash mine located in the Western Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The project is owned by BHP.
The potash project, which holds the potentiality to become one of the world’s largest potash mines, will be developed in multiple stages.
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In August 2021, BHP approved C$7.5bn ($5.7bn) investment for the first stage of Jansen project. Jansen S1 is expected to produce approximately 4.35 million tonnes of potash per annum.
The company approved an additional capital expenditure of C$6.4bn ($4.9bn) for stage two of the Jansen potash project in October 2023.
BHP also announced a C$4.9bn pre-Jansen Stage 1 investment for progression and early stage works.
Once fully operational, Jansen is expected to produce around 8.5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). The project is being designed to produce red standard and red granular muriate of potash (MOP) with a guaranteed minimum 60% potassium oxide (K2O).
In July 2025, BHP announced that the first stage of its Jansen potash mine will cost up to 30% more. The capital expenditure was revised to be in the range of $7bn to $7.4bn, including contingencies.
The company targeted to begin production from the end of 2026. However, first production from Jansen Stage 1 was reverted to the original schedule of mid-CY27.
Jansen Potash Project Location
The Jansen Potash Project is located in the Saskatchewan Province, around 150km east of the city of Saskatoon.
The Jansen site is situated in a rural area, surrounded by small farming communities. The nearest city is Humboldt, located about 60km away.
The site can be accessed by road via provincial Highway 16 and Highway 5. The nearest commercial international airport is in Saskatoon.
The site is entirely positioned within the Subsurface Mineral Lease KLSA 011. This agreement grants BHP Canada exclusive rights to search for, extract, and process subsurface minerals within all Saskatchewan Crown mineral parcels.
The lease is valid for a period of 21 years from November 2012.
Geology and Mineralisation
In Saskatchewan, potash is extracted as potassium chloride (KCl) from sylvinite rock, a mix of Sylvite (KCl) and Halite (NaCl) minerals. The content of KCl is expressed in terms of potassium oxide (%K2O) equivalence.
The Jansen potash deposit consists of halite (NaCl), sylvite (KCl), along with varying amounts of insolubles and clay seams.
Located within the Williston Basin, the Jansen potash deposit is part of a large, flat-lying sedimentary basin.
The potash layers are found within the Prairie Evaporite (PE) formation, formed during the Devonian period through the cyclic evaporation of a shallow inland sea.
At Jansen, potash is located at depths ranging from approximately 800m to 1,050m. The site contains two potash members- the Patience Lake and Belle Plaine.
The Patience Lake member is further divided into the Upper Patience Lake (UPL) and Lower Patience Lake (LPL) sub-members, with the LPL sub-member being the primary target for extraction. The LPL sub-member comprises sylvite (KCl), halite (NaCl), and varying amounts of insolubles and clay seams. Occasionally, carnallite (KCl.MgCl2.6H2O), which can affect processing and ground stability, replaces sylvite within the potash layer.
The potash deposit extends east to west across the province and generally shows uniformity, except for anomalies caused by local dissolutions of the potash beds or clay seams. These anomalies are classified as washout, leach, and collapse anomalies.
Jansen Project Reserves
As of June 2021, the Jansen mine includes measured resources of 5.23 billion tonnes grading 25.6% potassium oxide (K₂O), and 1.28 billion tonnes of inferred resources grading 25.6% of K₂O.
It contains probable reserves of 1.07 billion tonnes, grading 24.9% K₂O.
Mining at Jansen
The Jansen Mine is an underground potash mine aimed to extract the Lower Patience Lake sub-member within the Prairie Evaporite formation. Mining operations are planned to occur on a single level divided into two separate districts by employing a long room and pillar method.
Production mining rooms are set to be excavated in two stages to reach a final width of 12m using track-mounted borer miners and extendable conveying systems. The extracted ore will be transported to the shaft area for hoisting via a conveyor network mounted on the roof or floor.
Pillars, designed to ensure stability and safe working conditions, are based on empirical and numerical models that consider geological conditions, depth, extraction ratio, extraction rates, and the expected lifespan of the entries.
The mine’s design accounts for anticipated geotechnical and hydrogeological conditions to manage subsidence caused by mining activities. The integrity of overlying shale, limestone, and halite layers serves as a protective barrier against the risk of brine inflow into the mine.
Processing and Recovery
The Jansen processing facilities will consist of unit operations that are common in conventional potash mines in Saskatchewan.
These operations will include raw ore handling, storage, and crushing, as well as a wet area in the process mill building dedicated to attrition scrubbing, desliming, flotation, and debrining.
Additionally, the dry area in the process mill building will focus on drying, screening, compaction, and glazing.
The facilities will also handle tailings processing, crystalliser operations, and reagent management. For the final stages, product handling, storage, screening, and loadout will be integral components.
The Jansen Stage 1 process plant is designed as a fit-for-purpose high-recovery facility. It is capable of processing 1,483 tonnes per hour on a wet basis, or 1,479 tonnes per hour on a dry basis, of raw ore.
The plant will produce red fertilizer-grade potash, known as muriate of potash, which will be sized for both standard and granular product types.
Contractors Involved
In December 2010, DMC Mining was awarded the contract to construct two mine shafts for the project.
The Jansen Stage 1 potash project is being executed by the Hatch Bantrel Joint Venture (HBJV) in collaboration with BHP as an integrated Project Team (IPT).
Additionally, Westshore Terminals has entered into a long-term agreement with BHP to manage potash exports from the Jansen mine at the Port of Vancouver, with the contract extending up to 30 years, potentially reaching 2051.
In December 2024, ABB was selected by BHP to deliver, install, and commission three friction hoists and an additional electrical system for a Blair service hoist at the Jansen Potash Project in Canada.
The installation of the initial two hoists is underway, with the remaining two systems slated for installation and commissioning between 2026 and 2027.
In September 2024, Sandvik secured a major contract from BHP for the Jansen Potash Project in Saskatchewan, Canada. This contract, valued at approximately SEK1.9bn, includes potash continuous mining systems. Sandvik was awarded a separate SEK2bn contract in 2022 for Stage 1 of the project.
