Woodsmith Mine
| File:York Potash (640x144).jpg | |
| Industry | |
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| Products |
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| Parent | Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM:SXX) |
| Website | www.yorkpotash.co.uk |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
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The York Potash Project is the primary development focus and subsidiary of Sirius Minerals Plc.[1] The project intends to mine the world’s largest deposit of polyhalite – a naturally occurring mineral[4] – located on the Yorkshire coast.
The mine site is located outside the village of Sneatonthorpe, between Whitby and Scarborough in North Yorkshire.[5] The project plans to construct two 1,500 m (4,900 ft) shafts to reach the mineral seam which includes a mineable area of around 25,200 hectares (62,000 acres).[6]
To minimise the amount of visible infrastructure within the North York Moors National Park, a protected area, the polyhalite will then be transported 37 kilometres (23.0 miles) in an underground tunnel to the company’s processing plant at Teesside.[5] After granulation and drying, the finished product – marketed by Sirius Minerals as POLY4 – will be exported from the nearby harbour facilities.[7]
Planning
Sirius withdrew its initial planning application in 2013 to re-examine key elements, particularly the project’s environmental impact.[8] Plans were resubmitted in 2014 with notable changes including an underground system of conveyor belts to transport the dry mineral, instead of a slurry pipeline, and other mitigation efforts.[9]
The decision from members of the North York Moors National Park Authority to resolve to grant planning permission for the mine and mineral transport system, was made at a public meeting on 30 June 2015.[6] When complete, the Project would be among the largest mining projects ever built in the United Kingdom.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Sirius Minerals Plc: Business Profile". Financial Times. 20 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Sirius's Yorkshire mine plan gets boost as it secures Huaken deal". Financial Times. 24 December 2015.
- ^ "The questions you need answered on North Yorkshire's potash mine". York Press. 3 July 2015.
- ^ "Chinese sign up for 500,000 tonnes of fertiliser from North Yorks potash mine". The Daily Telegraph. 24 December 2015.
- ^ a b "The £1billion mine that won't scar the beauty of the moors thanks to a 22-mile tunnel long enough to go under the Channel". The Daily Mail. 22 March 2014.
- ^ a b "North York Moors potash mine gets £1.7bn go-ahead". The Guardian. 30 June 2015.
- ^ "York Potash project's Wilton material handling facility approved by Redcar & Cleveland Council". Teesside Gazette. 30 April 2015.
- ^ "North York Moors potash mine plans put back a year". BBC News. 16 September 2013.
- ^ "York Potash: £167m underground conveyor belt will mean more Teesside-based jobs". Teesside Gazette. 26 February 2014.