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Canada
Belle Plaine Mine

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 Location:
4.5 km N from Belle Plaine, Saskatchewan, Canada

  Address:
P. O. Box 7500
Regina
Saskatchewan, Canada
S4P 4L8
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax(306)-345-8200
WebsiteWeb
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Financials
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeIn-Situ
Commodities
  • Potash
Mining Method
  • Solution mining
Production Start...
Mine Life63 years (as of Jan 1, 2021)
Belle Plaine is the oldest and largest potash solution mine in the world.


Owners

Source: p. 1-2
CompanyInterestOwnership
The Mosaic Company 100 % Indirect
Belle Plaine potash facility is 100% owned by Mosaic Canada ULC, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of The Mosaic Company.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Evaporite


Summary:

The intracratonic Elk Point Basin is a major sedimentary geological feature in western Canada and the northwest USA. It contains one of the world's largest stratabound potash resources. The nature of this type of deposition is largely continuous with predictable depths and thickness. It is estimated to host >5 billion tonnes of ore (Orris, 2014) and is mined at a number of locations, including Mosaic's Belle Plaine. Esterhazy and C'olonsay potash facilities. Saskatchewan potash represents almost 25% of the global potash production due to its relatively low-cost, bulk tonnage mining methods. (Orris. 2014).

The Prairie Evaporite hosts rich deposits of evaporite minerals including halite (NaCl), sylvite (KCl) and locally, carnallite. There arc a number of insoluble clay-rich zones that arc not recovered in the solution mining process. The potash deposit at Belle Plaine is uniform and laterally continuous. Solution mining methods can more easily accommodate any local variations in geological condition due to the non-selective concentrate mining process.

Three potash deposits of economic importance occur in Saskatchewan: the Esterhazy, Belle Plaine and Patience Lake Members. The Belle Plaine Potash Facility is a solution mine that recovers potash from each of the Estcrhazy, Belle Plaine and Patience Lake Members. The following is a summary of the key stratigraphic units for the Belle Plaine Potash Facility:

• Patience Lake Member: The uppermost me ........


Mining Methods

  • Solution mining


Summary:

Mosaic Belle Plaine is operated as a solution mine rather than the conventional underground mine that uses mining machines and miners to bring solid ore to the surface. In the solution mine raw ore is extracted at remote cluster sites by injecting water underground into potash deposits and recovering the saturated solution to the surface.

Similar to conventional potash mines, the by-products of Belle Plaine consist of salt (NaCl), clays (fines) and brine. Belle Plaine can, however, dispose of resaturated salts into the mine cavities as there are no underground workings.

This results in a much smaller accumulation of salts above ground in the tailings management area (TMA).

The Belle Plaine Facility utilizes an underground, solution mining process where paired wells are directionally drilled, cased, and cemented to the base of the potash beds. Solution mining techniques are used to target mining of the potash (“KCl”) bedding while minimizing mining of the halite salts (“NaCl”). Current mining practices allow for all three potash beds in the formation to be mined. During the mining process, the two wells are mined to connect with each other underground, allowing one well to become the feed well and the other well to become the return well. Water, or a weaker brine, is injected into the cavern to return a salt saturated and potash rich brine. This fluid is pumped through pipelines from the mining area and sent to the refinery complex as raw feed ........


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

- subscription is required.


Production:

CommodityUnits2021202020192018201720162015
Potash Mt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required2.82.72.42.1
All production numbers are expressed as crystals.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202120202019201820172016
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required11.9 Mt10.6 Mt10.2 Mt9 Mt
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required3 Mt of potash crystals3 Mt of potash crystals3 Mt of potash crystals2.4 Mt of potash crystals
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2021:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 275 Mt K2O 19.3 %
Probable 394 Mt K2O 19.3 %
Proven & Probable 669 Mt K2O 19.3 %
Inferred 4,647 Mt K2O 19 %

Financials:

Units20212020201920182017
Capital expenditures M USD  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required 52.9   37.2  
Book Value M USD  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required



Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 25, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 25, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

Total WorkforceYear
Subscription required 2021
Subscription required 2009

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
Form 10-K 2018
Other 2018
Form 10-K 2017
Form 10-K 2016
Form 10-K 2015
Project Description 2009
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Subscription required - Subscription is required.

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