Business news

PETRIKOV, 27 August (BelTA) – The ceremony to place the first stone to mark the start of the construction of the Petrikov mining and processing factory took place at the site of the Petrikov deposit of potassium salts on 27 August, BelTA has learned.

OAO Belaruskali Director General Valery Kiriyenko told media that the first phase of the factory will be commissioned in December 2019 while the designed capacity will be reached in December 2021. The factory’s output capacity will be at least 1.5 million tonnes of potassium chloride per annum. Later on the capacity may be increased up to 3 million tonnes per annum, said the Director General.

For now leveling operations are in full swing at the manufacturing site and a reservoir to store process water is being built. The construction of temporary buildings and structures that will be needed to freeze the rocks and excavate technological deviations from mine shafts has also started. Due to the complicated lay of the land the work to reconstruct the open melioration system within limits of the manufacturing site has already been completed.

OAO Belaruskali is implementing the investment project using its own resources on the basis of Belarus president decree No. 37 on the development of the Petrikov deposit of potash salts dated by 17 January 2012.

The Petrikov deposit of potash salts was discovered in 1966. At present there are eight potassium horizons that offer potash salts of unique purity. The expected reserves stand at about 2.2 billion tonnes, with the occurrence depth reaching 1.2km.

Taking into account the available reserves, the targeted designed capacity, and optimization of the operation of every industrial horizon the useful life of the Petrikov mining and processing factory is estimated at about 90 years.