Salt Lake begins commissioning of potash process plant

The company awarded contracts to GE Engineering for engineering, procurement and construction of the plant in June last year, before swiftly passing the project’s halfway mark by September.

Now, just nine months after awarding initial contracts, chief executive officer Tony Swiericzuk was congratulating his team on a significant achievement.

Next in line for commissioning will be utilities, conversion circuit, floatation circuits, crystallisers and dryer. Consulting on the process will be plant designer, Wood Group, with assistance. from vendors including Veolia and Broadbent.

The Lake Way project used two-megawatt diesel generators to power the front-end plant commissioning, while the 10-megawatt power station is scheduled for use in late April.

The project expects first production and sales to occur in the June quarter, as Swiericzuk said he’s looking forward to seeing it all unfold.

“It is exciting to see the vision that was first conceived in late 2018 come to fruition less than two and a half years later. First SOP sales and revenue are now well within sight,” Swiericzuk said.

The Lake Way project is designed to use its six ponds to produce 245,000 tonnes of SOP per year for a 20-year lifespan.