Strategic acquisition earlier this year could add 30 years to life of Nutrien Rocanville

500-600 workers for Nutrien project in October

August 24, 2020, 10:53 am
Kevin Weedmark

In May, Nutrien acquired a new lease of more than 243 square kilometers for the very long term expansion of Nutrien Rocanville.

Between 500 and 600 contractors will be working on a project at Nutrien Rocanville in October.

“The 500-600 workers are contractors. This involves 24-7 coverage, so typically 100-150 contractors on-site at one time during the peak periods. Nutrien employees are also completing maintenance work as well,” a Nutrien spokesperson told the World-Spectator Friday.

“Rocanville will be completing the planned turnaround over a four week period in October,” Nutrien said.

“The number of workers involved will vary over the four weeks, with 500-600 during the peak.

“This is typical for turnarounds at Rocanville and in line with previous years’ work. The timeframe for the turnaround has not been affected by Covid-19.”

“Further out, the focus will be sustaining essential capital, and replacing and modernizing equipment in the original mill to match the functionality of the new mill.”

Rocanville is a low-cost producer within Nutrien’s system, and the mine is important to the future of the company’s potash production.

“Long term, the outlook for Rocanville remains positive and productive,” said Nutrien. “Rocanville will continue to carry the production load for our potash network, and we will continue to invest in safety, technology and operational efficiencies to maintain its strong, low-cost position within the network.”

Crown lease purchase an investment for the long term

Nutrien acquired more than 253 square kilometres of mineral rights earlier this year in what the company describes as an investment for the very long term. “That acquisition is looking decades into the future,” a Nutrien spokesperson said.

“In May, we completed a Crown lease purchase agreement with North Atlantic Potash that provides Nutrien with another 263.5 square kilometers of subsurface mineral rights north-west of our Rocanville potash mine,” a Nutrien spokesperson said.

“The lease area, known as KL-279, is rich in potassium chloride and holds the potential to add 30 years of mining to Rocanville. This was a strategic long-term investment to support future expansions of Rocanville and ensure that our potash network remains strong and competitive.

“Adding decades of potash production at Rocanville is also good news for our employees, customers and communities who rely on our operations to grow and thrive.

“That acquisition is looking decades into the future. It’s not medium term or long term, it’s the very long term. That’s not on the horizon at the moment, it was a strategic acquisition. It has the potential to add to the life of the mine, which is always good when you have any big resource asset. It’s always good to look decades ahead and ensure you’ve got ongoing potential for development. It’s a really key investment for Nutrien in that part of the world.”