[Saint John] Port Development

[bingun]

Location, location, location: Why proposed N.B. potash mine has advantage

https://tj.news/new-brunswick/location-location-location-why-proposed-n-b-potash-mine-has-advantage

While Saskatchewan has been a potash powerhouse for years, a proposed New Brunswick mine would have an advantage over that province’s producers because of its ability to ship directly overseas.

Atlantic Potash Millstream Corporation CEO and director Keith Attoe said having a deposit in rural Kings County, near the town of Sussex, located just 70 kilometres from the Port of Saint John is a “huge advantage.”
Erin Weir, a Saskatchewan-based consulting economist with Silo Strategy, agrees.

He said Atlantic Potash won’t have to deal with the same transportation hurdles as its western counterpart, which transports the bulky commodity thousands of kilometres by rail to reach a port.

“The real advantage for New Brunswick potash would be the access to ports and overseas markets,” he said. “Saskatchewan is better positioned to put potash on trains to the American corn belt… Atlantic Potash would probably want to access all the markets that it can, but I think its business model would really be to get the potash quickly to a port and then be able to sell it overseas.”

Attoe said proximity could also make for a more competitive price. He said the company estimates $75 per tonne in savings from trucking potash loads to Saint John for export.