POTASH DEVELOPMENT: BHP forges ahead at Jansen project

SASKATCHEWAN — The board of Australia's BHP Billiton has approved the spending of US$240 million toward the first phase of development at its 100%-owned Jansen potash project east of Lanigan. The expenditure will "facilitate the early-stage work for the establishment of the production and service shafts," according to the company's Q4 2009 exploration and development report.

A project proposal was submitted to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment in November 2008. In it, BHP suggests that construction could start in July 2011 for production from a long-room-and-pillar mine beginning in January 2015. Full production, a hoisting rate of 22.5 million t/y, would be reached in February 2016. The preliminary design for the Jansen plant includes conventional wet milling, flotation and dry compaction. Life of the project exceeds 50 years.

More information may be found at www.BHPBilliton.com.