A decision on whether to bring the Jansen potash project into production will be made by February of 2021, according to BHP’s report on the end of the September quarter. The report says work on engineering to support project planning and on finalizing the port solution is required first, before making that final investment decision.

The BHP Board has approved $144-million U.S. to finish the work and an additional $201-million to derisk the project. According to the report, that means focusing on the mine’s scope of work, advancing engineering and procurement activities and preparing for underground infrastructure, which would make a transition between the study and execution phase more efficient, should the project be approved.

The Jansen project, which is about 140 kilometres east of Saskatoon, is 84 per cent complete and preparation work for the final shaft lining is continuing.