K+S has produced the first tonnes of marketable potash in its new Bethune potash mine in Saskatchewan.
"This is a great day for our company," remarked Dr. Burkhard Lohr, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of K+S Aktiengesellschaft. "With Bethune, the most modern potash facility in the world, we are pushing into a new dimension. We are now producing potash on two continents," Lohr continued.
K+S intends to produce 600 000 to 700 000 t of potash in the Bethune mine this year. The annual production capacity of 2 million t is planned to be reached by the end of 2017.
The first potash transport from Bethune to the new harbor terminal at Vancouver should leave in August. From there the potash will be shipped to clients around the world.
“Our team on site under direction of Dr. Ulrich Lamp has achieved an extraordinary performance. Therefore they receive the thanks of us all,” concluded Dr. Lohr.