Mining Intelligence and News
United Kingdom

Woodsmith Project

Click for more information

Categories

Summary

Mine TypeUnderground
StageConstruction
Commodities
  • Polyhalite
Mining Method
  • Continuous
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotWoodsmith is the world’s largest-known deposit of polyhalite.

Woodsmith is a large-scale, long-life, tier one fertiliser project being developed in north east England, subject to studies and approval.

In May 2024, Anglo American announced that they will slow the development of the Woodsmith project in the near term to support balance sheet deleveraging, with the project focusing on critical studies, shaft sinking and other activities. On 21 June, 2024, based on a new business strategy, Anglo American is reducing activity at the Woodsmith polyhalite project in North Yorkshire, which includes a slowdown in tunnelling and a pause in sinking its production shaft.

As of 2024, work is also continuing to identify and secure one or more strategic syndication partners for Woodsmith ahead of consideration by the Board for approval and subsequent project ramp-up, anticipated from 2027.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Anglo American plc. 100 % Indirect
Anglo American plc. owns 100% of the Woodsmith Project through Sirius Minerals Plc.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary
  • Evaporite

Summary:

The deposit is part of the Late Permian evaporite succession on the western edge of the Zechstein Basin, which represents multiple influxes and subsequent evaporation of seawater in a palaeo-depression with restricted connection to the Zechstein Sea. This cyclical process of basin flooding and evaporation produced four major evaporite cycles (termed Z1 to Z4, with Z1 being the basal unit) and several locally developed, minor evaporitic cycles. Most of the original evaporitic sediments have undergone subsequent alteration that is most commonly from: limestone to dolomite, gypsum to anhydrite and anhydrite to polyhalite.

The polyhalite mineralisation is hosted within the Z2 Fordon Evaporite sequence, a significant basin-infilling cycle. This sequence varies between 30 and 200 m in thickness across the project area, thickening to the east, towards the centre of the basin. The deposit is a stratiform sedimentary unit displaying significant lateral continuity. It is composed of two polyhalitedominant horizons: the Shelf Seam and the Basin Seam.

The Shelf Seam exists on the basin margin and thickens in the central part of the project area before pinching out to the east. It is underlain by intergrown halite, anhydrite and polyhalite, and is overlain by anhydrite. On a smaller scale, the deposit is modelled as a series of laterally continuous units within the Shelf Seam, potentially representing variations in the seawater chemistry and depositional environment at the time. Three zones of high-grade polyhalite are distinguished, separated by anhydrite-dominated bands and these have been termed A, B, and D respectively. The Basin Seam is deeper and bound by halite; it terminates against the base of the palaeo-ramp to the west and extends out to the east under the North Sea.

The Basin Seam is one of two high-grade polyhalite seams within the Woodsmith deposit. It is deeper than the Shelf Seam, is bound by halite, and terminates against the base of the palaeoramp to the west and extends out to the east under the North Sea.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Commodity Production

CommodityUnitsAvg. Annual
Polyhalite Mt 10
All production numbers are expressed as mineral.

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2024 study.

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 16, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 16, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 16, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 16, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 16, 2025

Workforce

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2020

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.