Nutrien’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer told attendees of a virtual industrial conference that the company is not surprised by Australian mining giant BHP deciding to go ahead with its Jansen potash mine about 150 kilometres east of Saskatoon.

Mark Thompson says it’s a project that BHP has been working on for over a decade. He adds that Nutrien will not be changing any of its fundamentals because of a new player in the market. Thompson explains that traditionally potash demand grows from decade to decade, and it’s expected by the time BHP is producing ore at the end of this decade, market demand will be around 90-million tonnes. Thompson says Jansen is expected to produce four to four-and-a-half million tonnes of potash in its Phase 1 project.

Nutrien produces about 27-million tonnes of potash, nitrogen and phosphate products world–wide. BHP has announced selling its oil and gas operations and is focusing more on metals and minerals that will fit in with the world focusing more on reducing emissions.