New Brunswick’s environment department will allow Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan to expand its Sussex, N.B. mine, on 18 conditions.
The company announced plans in July for a US$1.8 billion expansion project at its potash operations at Sussex, northeast of Saint John, tapping into its Piccadilly deposit, two “relatively flat” seams of ore it says are similar in quality to the company’s Saskatchewan deposits.
The proposal includes two new mine shafts in the Piccadilly area, from which the company would run a pipeline to its mill at Penobsquis.
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The company said the two-million-tonne mine will boost its total annual potash capacity to 14.9 million tonnes. As part of this project, it plans to expand its New Brunswick milling capacity by 1.2 million tonnes.
Among the province’s conditions are requirements for monitoring of wetlands, monitoring and study of wells and water quality in the area, and a study of the relationship between the Piccadilly deposits and existing natural gas wells in that area. The company also must stop work if any significant archaeological finds turn up during construction.
Completing its provincial environment impact assessment (EIA) is a significant step for PotashCorp, which must now also apply for permits including a watercourse and wetland alteration permit and an approval to construct from the environment department, before work can begin.
The province also requires PotashCorp to start work at the site within three years of Jan. 11, when the EIA was issued. If not, the company will have to apply for another EIA.
PotashCorp has called the Sussex expansion “strategically and logistically important,” being close to its shipping terminal at Saint John, which offers the shortest shipping times to markets such as Brazil.
