Uralkali closes potash mine due to brine inflow
Russian potash producer Uralkali announced on Nov. 18 that it has suspended all work at its Solikamsk-2 potash mine in Russia’s Perm Region after detecting higher levels of brine inflow at the site. The company has introduced an emergency plan and evacuated personnel to above ground. The concentration and volumes of brine inflow are being closely monitored, and Uralkali has informed the relevant state authorities about the incident.
Uralkali said its other facilities continue to operate as normal. Uralkali has five mines and seven ore-treatment mills in the Russian cities of Berezniki and Solikamsk. The company employs approximately 11,300 in its main production unit.
Industry analysts speculated that a permanent loss of the mine could impact global oversupply and push potash prices higher. The Solikamsk-2 mine has annual capacity of approximately 2.3 million mt, or roughly 3 percent of global capacity for 2014. Uralkali’s total capacity is approximately 13 million mt/y, and the company has been running at 90 percent utilization this year.