EuroChem is now one of only three companies worldwide producing all three key fertiliser products of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. In mining terms it mines phosphate at the Kovdor open pit mine on the Kola peninsula in Russia and at the Phosphorit mining operation in Kingisepp, also in Russia; while there is a development project in the Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan.

For potash (potassium ore) the company now has access to over 10 billion tonnes of potash reserves in two key deposits in Russia and is conducting geological work on other deposits to which it has secured mining rights. Once on stream, the two ongoing potash projects will have over 8.3 Mt KCI (5 Mt K2O) of capacity. EuroChem is constructing mining and processing facilities at two locations in Russia; at the Gremyachinskoe deposit (EuroChem-VolgaKaliy, Volgograd region) and at the Verkhnekamskoe deposit (EuroChem Usolskiy, Perm region).

IM visited Usolskiy and saw one of the Kopeysk Ural-20R potash mining combines in action – by the end of this year there will be 14 of them running, each capable of 60,000 t/mth at full production. Once fully operational, Usolskiy’s Phase 1 will have a total annual production capacity of 2.3 Mt of MOP.