POTASH ORE
3,000
kt
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Extracting potash from underground mines in Spain is conducted by mining sylvinite, a mixture of potash and salt found in varying concentrations. The potash is then separated from the salt at production plants located near the mines.
ICL Iberia is involved in an ambitious project to modernize and expand its industrial activities with the aim of increasing its sustainable mining practices.
ICL has finalized a multi-year project to consolidate its Spanish mines and processing facilities into one complex, which now operates a ramp instead of a shaft, thus increasing the mine’s capacity. The project also consists of expanding capacity, adjusting logistics and constructing a new, deep-water terminal in the Port of Barcelona, as well as other activities.
The new ICL Terminal, operational since June 2020, will support significant environmental improvements. These include new facilities and train transportation that will reduce air pollution and GHG. It also includes new dust collection systems with high-capacity filters at all discharge points. Train transport will be maximized, drastically reducing the number of trucks transporting materials from Bages to the Port of Barcelona. In addition, a portion of the electricity required will be produced on-site with solar energy. Photovoltaic panels will be installed on the roofs of buildings.
ICL Iberia has received the 2020 Infrastructure Award from the Infrastructure Advisory Council of Catalonia, for the construction of the new terminal in the Port of Barcelona. This state-of-the-art terminal, inaugurated last summer, allows ICL to commercialize by ship the potash and salt that the company extracts from the Suria mine, with greater storage and loading capacities, more efficiency and with the focus always on the sustainability of the company's activity.
Area 80,500 m2
Concession: 35 years
Annual ship loading capacity: 4 million tones
Investment: 77 million euros
The increase in rail transport, along with the launch of the ramp, are further evidence of ICL and FGC’s global commitment to the environment and the decarbonization of transport.
ICL Iberia and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC – The Catalan Railways Authority) signed a new agreement to increase the number of trains transporting potash and salt from the Bages mines to the Port of Barcelona.
This agreement, which will increase the number of freight convoys to the Port, involves an initial reduction of about 86,000 trucks per year - with the corresponding decrease in CO₂ emissions - and will also contribute to increased road safety.
The agreement is for a period of 30 years and will double the amount of ore that ICL Iberia transports to the port by train, reaching about two million tons a year.
Read MoreICL conducts its mining activities in Spain pursuant to concessions granted to it by the Spanish government. In 2015, in accordance with the provisions of the Spanish Waste Management regulation, ICL Iberia submitted to the Government of Catalonia a mining site restoration plan for its two production sites in Suria and Sallent, which included a plan for handling salt deposits and dismantling facilities. The restoration plan for the Suria site is scheduled to extend to 2094 and for the Sallent site until 2070. A multi-year program is also underway to restore the salt deposits, while addressing issues such as wastewater drainage and sludge treatment.
ICL Iberia is both an economic engine in the region as well as a social engine in the Bages region. Apart from providing hundreds of jobs, ICL Iberia is very involved with various community initiatives.
Read MoreIn July 2020, ICL announced its decision to halt production at the Vilafruns mine in Spain.
Mining at Vilafruns, originally scheduled to cease in 2015, was due to continue into 2021, when an infrastructure upgrade at the nearby ICL Suria mine was expected to be completed and allow the consolidation of the mining activities in Suria, as projected in the "Phoenix Plan".
However, recent challenges, including current market conditions, COVID-19 related restrictions and a high level of operating costs at Vilafruns, have brought forward the planned closure. In parallel, ICL continues to step up production at the Suria mine.
