PotashCorp Announces Major Project at Cory Potash Facility
May 02 2007 - 5:39PM
PR Newswire (US)
Listed: TSX, NYSE Symbol: POT SASKATOON, SK, May 2
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.
(PotashCorp) announced today that it will begin a major
debottlenecking and expansion project that will increase potash
production at its Cory, SK operation by 1.2 million tonnes from
2006 levels. The project will cost approximately US $775 million,
which includes US $70 million for 750,000 tonnes of new compaction
capacity. In 2006, Cory produced approximately 800,000 tonnes of
its 1.37 million tonne nameplate capacity, and currently makes only
white potash products primarily for industrial customers. The
project will involve debottlenecking of underground operations as
well as a significant expansion into the production of red potash
products. A new plant will be constructed for the crushing,
flotation, centrifuging and drying of 2.0 million tonnes per year
of red products, with up to 800,000 tonnes of this to be
crystallized for white product production. Additionally, storage,
load-out and rail yard capabilities will be expanded to support the
new red product line. Work is scheduled to begin immediately and
will take 36 months to complete. This will increase capacity at
Cory to 2.0 million tonnes and, combined with other announced
projects in Saskatchewan, should raise PotashCorp's total
production capability to 13.5 million tonnes by the second quarter
of 2010. Beyond this, the company is considering additional
projects at its facilities in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan that
could raise its potential capacity to 15.7 million tonnes by 2015.
With a 12-16 percent increase in potash consumption expected in
2007 and further 3-4 percent annual increases anticipated through
the end of the decade, global potash producers - with the exception
of PotashCorp - are at or near their production limits. A new
conventional greenfield mine requires a good deposit, 5-7 years'
lead time to build and, according to recent external engineering
estimates, an investment of $2 billion for 2 million tonnes of
production. This Cory project will bring expanded production
tonnage online more quickly and at a 40-percent discount to the
estimated cost of a greenfield development. "We believe that the
world will need more potash, and we are in the best position to
meet that demand," said PotashCorp President and CEO Bill Doyle.
"For almost 20 years, we have patiently managed our potash
resources, recognizing that significant and sustainable growth in
global consumption would eventually arrive. Our project at Cory
demonstrates the continuing execution of our Potash First strategy,
as we will be bringing back capacity and expanding our product mix
to meet the growing requirements for potash in offshore markets."
PotashCorp is the world's largest fertilizer enterprise producing
the three primary plant nutrients and a leading supplier to three
distinct market categories: agriculture, with the largest capacity
in the world in potash, third largest in phosphate and fourth
largest in nitrogen; animal nutrition, with the world's largest
capacity in phosphate feed ingredients; and industrial chemicals,
as the largest global producer of industrial nitrogen products and
with the world's largest purified industrial phosphoric acid
production capacity. This release contains forward-looking
statements. These statements are based on certain factors and
assumptions as set forth in this release, including foreign
exchange rates, expected growth, results of operations, performance
and business prospects and opportunities. While the company
considers these factors and assumptions to be reasonable, based on
information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. A
number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially
from those in the forward-looking statements, including, but not
limited to: fluctuations in supply and demand in fertilizer,
sulfur, transportation and petrochemical markets; changes in
competitive pressures, including pricing pressures; risks
associated with natural gas and other hedging activities; changes
in capital markets; changes in currency and exchange rates;
unexpected geological or environmental conditions, including water
inflow; and government policy changes. Additional risks and
uncertainties can be found in our 2006 financial review annual
report and in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission and Canadian provincial securities commissions.
Forward-looking statements are given only as at the date of this
release and the company disclaims any obligation to update or
revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise. In the case of guidance,
should subsequent events show that the forward-looking statements
released herein may be materially off-target, the company will
evaluate whether to issue and, if appropriate following such
review, issue a news release updating guidance or explaining
reasons for the difference. DATASOURCE: Potash Corporation of
Saskatchewan Inc. CONTACT: Investors: Denita Stann, Director,
Investor Relations, Phone: (847) 849-4277, Fax: (847) 849-4691,
Email: ; Media: Rhonda Speiss, Manager, Public Relations, Phone:
(306) 933-8544, Fax: (306) 933-8844, ; Web Site:
http://www.potashcorp.com/
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