At the 2023 World Potash Conference and Golmud Salt Lake Forum held on June 9, many representatives shared the current situation and prospects of potash mining in Laos.
Laotian potash mining for many years, has been difficult to scale, but in the last two years, potassium International and Sichuan Huiyuan Da Company made a great breakthrough, large-scale quantities can supply the domestic market, is considered to be an important reason for the low price of domestic potash.
Lao potassium mine and the domestic is very different, in the form of carnallite buried in the ground, and somewhat similar to coal. Therefore, the mining process is also very different from that in China.
In March 2022, China Blue Long Chemical Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. undertook the 2 million tons/year potash fertilizer project design task of Lao Zhongnong (a subsidiary company of Potassium Subinternational), and Bu Junfen served as the project manager. Zhonglan Changhua is the leader in the domestic potash mining process design, after receiving the project, Bu Junfen entered the Lao project site in May 2022 to carry out work, continuous work for 8 months, before the end of last year to achieve commissioning test, and produced qualified products, becoming the first project in the history of potash salt industry development that year design and construction, put into operation that year. The construction period of a similar project is the shortest record.
At present, there are 6 Chinese-funded potash enterprises in Laos that have obtained mining rights and entered the substantive development stage.
Behind the potash mining in Laos, many Chinese companies provide technical support. In addition to the above blue Changhua, there are Qinghai Province nuclear industry radioactive geological exploration Institute, the institute vice president Shi Guocheng said that the company since 2007 in Laos potash salt mine exploration area involved five provinces, completed more than 30 geological, surveying, drilling (nearly 300,000 meters), hydraulic environment, material deep comprehensive projects. There are 12 cooperative Chinese enterprises in old China, namely Zangge, New Century, Zhongnong, Zhongliao, Haiwang, Puyue, Asia, Oriental, Dragon Python, Xindi, Tengbang, XDL Mining Company, etc. The exploration area is nearly 3000 square kilometers, and the proved potassium chloride resources are billions of tons, and the bromine resources are nearly 100 million tons. Combined with the characteristics of potash mines, the company is committed to technological innovation in the treatment of potash mines water, and successfully breaks through the technical bottleneck by combining theory with practice. In addition, the integration of forces from all walks of life in the potash salt industry has made certain contributions to the healthy, green and sustainable development of solid potash salt mines in Laos, and will provide technical support for the Lao side in the industry standard of solid potash salt mines.
Potash International aims to complete 5 million tons of potash production capacity by 2025, and further build 7-10 million tons of potash annual production as needed in the future. With the successful test run of the first overseas bromine project, the development of non-potassium resources has also begun.
Liu Bingyan, director, secretary of the board of directors and deputy general manager of Potassium Sub-International, said that the non-potassium industry aims to give full play to the advantages of associated resources, and promote the collaborative development of potassium resources and non-potassium resources through investment attraction and joint investment construction.
In terms of technology, potassium subinternational said that the company is committed to comprehensively promoting cost reduction and efficiency through technological innovation, continuously upgrading large-scale underground mechanical equipment, optimizing mining and transportation systems, and innovating flotation crystallization production processes. At present, it has signed an intelligent mine cooperation agreement with Huawei to comprehensively promote the construction of smart mines. In the future, Potassium International will continue to study and innovate in digital mines and unmanned mines, further improve the efficiency of harvesting, reduce production costs, and maintain core competitive advantages.
