Portsmouth, Va.—Both Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. and the Virginia Port Authority have confirmed that there have been preliminary discussions – but no agreement – on locating a molten sulfur facility at the port. PCS Phosphates, a unit of PotashCorp, had planned to build the plant in Morehead City, N.C., last year, but withdrew it after a well organized community protest developed (GM Aug. 1, 2010). “We are in the very early stages of evaluating several possible locations for the sulfur project,” PotashCorp spokesman Tom Pasztor told Green Markets. “Portsmouth, Va., is one of those locations. Whatever location is selected, PotashCorp will comply with all legal and environmental obligations and will ensure full transparency throughout the regulatory process.” Port Authority spokesman Joe Harris didn’t have much more to say, but did indicate that there probably would be plenty of space at a vacant marine terminal. “It’s very premature and too early to comment on anything,” Harris indicated. “We’ve been discussing it with them, but there’s been no contract or agreement. So far it’s been just a discussion as to whether PotashCorp and the port would be a good fit for one another. We have a vacant marine terminal that we are parceling out to several companies on our list that have various needs for rail and marine access.” The plant would melt sulfur pellets, creating molten sulfur that would be transported by ships or barges to the company’s facility in Aurora, N.C., where it would be converted into sulfuric acid and mixed with phosphate rock, creating phosphate fertilizers and other products, Pasztor said, adding that the plant would employ about 10 people.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain