Sask. mine recruiting hundreds of workers
BHP is moving forward with its plans to build the world's largest potash mine.
The company is in the midst of a recruitment blitz to build its Jansen potash mine, a $7.5 billion project 140 kilometres east of Saskatoon, as the company looks to hit a peak of 3,500 workers on the site in the coming years.
"This year is sort of commencement of that ramp up," Simon Thomas, BHP's president of potash said.
"The operation workforce will be in the order of 600 people long term. Around 400 to 450 of those will actually live in and around the communities that we operate."
Thomas said while those workers will settle in places like Humboldt, Leroy, Jansen and Lanigan, he expects employees at the mine to reflect the local community. BHP has committed to having a 20 per cent Indigenous workforce, which it is currently exceeding.
"We have programs and will continue to develop programs that create entry pathways to be traineeships, apprenticeships and early engagement to ensure that workforce is ready," he said.
Plenty of work is underway to make the potash mine not only the biggest in the world but the most sustainable when it starts production in 2026.
BHP will ditch its diesel-powered fleet in favour of an electric fleet as the company looks to challenge the province's reliance on fossil fuels.
Roughly 80 per cent of the underground vehicles at the mine will be electric, with plans to increase that to 100 per cent in the coming years.
"Our mine will be in the order of 50 per cent less in terms of CO2 emissions for production," Thomas said.
BHP is also changing the way it pulls potash out of the ground as it aims to use 60 per cent less fresh water than it currently uses per tonne of potash.
Jansen is expected to produce 4.35 million tonnes of potash per year when it comes online in 2026, with the potential for additional expansions.
The initial amount would represent about 20 per cent of the 22 million tonnes of potash produced in 2021.
"We're really pleased with the progress, really pleased with the performance of our teams and our contractors and it gives us a lot of confidence going into this year and into the several years ahead," Thomas said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
A Washington police officer killed 3 people in 8 years -- and faces a murder trial for the last one
Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a suburban Seattle police officer charged with murder in the death of a 26-year-old man outside a convenience store in 2019 — the third person the officer had killed in the past eight years.
3 children injured after truck and school bus collide in Russell, Ont.
Three children and a driver were taken to hospital after a school bus and a truck collided on Route 400 in Russell, Ont.