LANIGAN — The Nutrien Lanigan potash mine will be shut down temporarily. The company said it’s looking at starting at the beginning of November.
The shutdown could last for up to eight weeks. Will Tigley, a spokesperson for Nutrien, said the plan is to restart before 2020 comes along.
“There’s a short-term potash demand weakness, so we’re taking this step for an eight-week inventory shutdown,” he said.
The Lanigan mine is one of three to face the temporary shutdown, along with Allan and Vanscoy.
Tigley said the number of jobs at the Lanigan mine affected by the shutdown is yet to be determined. He said there could be between 150 to 250 jobs affected at each mine.
The company said it expects potash production to be reduced by approximately 700,000 tonnes if the mines remain idle for the full eight weeks. Tigley said the company is hoping market conditions will change so they can return to production earlier.
The spokesperson added that in the medium to long term, the company expects there will be an increased demand for potash, with growth expected to be 2.5 to three per cent per year.
