Debottlenecking initiatives alter aspects of the production process to reduce hold-ups, gain efficiencies, and increase throughput in the mining and milling process.

Debottlenecking a conventional potash mine and mill facility can include any or all of the following measures:

Delivering more ore from mine to surface for processing

• Increase hoisting speed (# of loads to surface per hour)
• Increase "skip" (potash product elevator) size (tonnes to surface per load)
• Increase hoist rope size (to accommodate a larger skip)
• Reduce other physical constraints

Increasing underground ore production

• Add mining machines
• Increase size / speed of conveyor systems
• Add ore storage capacity
• Increase power supply to support more and larger equipment

Increasing surface processing / production

• Adding larger / more efficient process equipment
• Increase size / speed of conveyor systems
• Increase power supply
• Improve waste handling
• Increase water supply
• Increase compaction capacity
• Increase product storage

Expansion initiatives leverage existing facilities and infrastructure to increase production, adding equipment as necessary. This can include, but is not limited to:

• Adding a new mine shaft
• Adding milling equipment
• Adding compaction capacity
• Adding on-site transportation / distribution capability

While typically more costly than debottlenecking initiatives, these projects can add capacity more quickly and at a lower cost than greenfield development.

Greenfield initiatives are newly conceived and constructed mine and mill facilities. This is the most costly and time-consuming of the three options.

Greenfield construction of a conventional underground mine and above-ground mill includes 4 distinct phases that, with ramp up of the underground operation to full production, can take a total of more than 7 years to complete:

• Exploration (seismic surveys, exploratory wells, permit acquisition, etc.)
• Establishing site infrastructure ("inside the fence" roads, power, gas, water, etc.)
• Constructing underground operation (mine)
• Constructing surface operation (mill)

Related links:
Audio Interview with Bill Doyle
PotashCorp Announces Major Mine and Mill Expansion at Rocanville Increasing Strength: Expansion Adds to Potash First Strategy


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