K+S Potash Canada (KSPC), a subsidiary of German giant K+S Group, recently completed implementation of its $4.1B Bethune Mine (formerly the Legacy Project) in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the first greenfield potash mine built in the province in more than 40 years.

As KSPC’s design and project management partner, Wood led an integrated execution team tasked with delivering all aspects of engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning for the solution mine and processing facility.

The work included the management of complex third party design-supply technology packages for key components of the plant where three different types of potash are produced. Total planned production is roughly 2.9 million tonnes per annum.

Over 23,000,000 man-hours were put into the project, with a site workforce that peaked above 3,000 people daily.  Wood and KSPC worked in partnership on health, safety, security and environmental aspects of the project as it evolved from a pure greenfield site to a fully operational production facility. As a result, the project team achieved over 11 million hours without a lost-time injury.

On June 11, 2017, just under five years after the groundbreaking ceremony, the Bethune mine produced its first tonne of marketable potash.