The Saskatchewan Research Council had the grand opening of its new facility in Saskatoon on Wednesday which has consolidated SRC’s Mining and Minerals operations into one purpose-built facility.
The new location was funded by the Government of Saskatchewan and will allow for future expansion.
In June 2020, the Government of Saskatchewan and SRC announced $15 million in funding for the 18-month construction project which was part of the Province’s plan to stimulate Saskatchewan’s economic recovery.
SRC’s president says being part of the generating new technology and innovation for the mining and minerals industry means they can help mining companies to produce more ore with less waste. Mike Crabtree says mining companies can also look forward to “reduced energy costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions – developments which will be essential to ensuring the long-term sustainability of Saskatchewan’s mineral resources.”
The construction phase brought an immediate 50 jobs and now there are roughly 90 employees working at SRC’s Geoanalytical Laboratories, Mineral Processing and Development Engineering and Manufacturing groups.
Meanwhile, the 14th annual Saskatchewan Mining Supply Chain Forum was back in person and in Saskatoon this week.
On Tuesday (June 22), guests got the chance to listen to leaders in the Potash and uranium industries; including Cameco, Nutrien and the Mosaic company. It was an opportunity to hear what these companies thought processes were going forward with the mining industry in Saskatchewan.
This year’s forum saw Nutrien announce they were ramping up their potash production to 18 million tonnes by 2025. Currently they have committed to 15 million tonnes by the end of this year, which would be above the record that was set in 2021 at 14 million tons.
(Nutrien’s Director of procurement, Josh Dodd)
This ramp up is in direct response to the increasing global demand and ongoing supply chain disruption. With Nutrien’s strong growth path they needed their suppliers to be on board, especially the one’s here in Saskatchewan. They will primarily lean on the Vanscoy and the Lanigan mines as well as Rocanville for the increased production.
The keynote speaker for the event was Cameco Chief Financial Officer, Grant Isaac. In his 50 minute presentation, Isaac talked about the world’s shift to nuclear power and the importance of uranium. Uranium provides fuel to Nuclear Power Plants. In 2019, Saskatchewan produced 6.9 kilotonnes of Uranium, valued at around $800 million. Other countries will look to Canada for Uranium as they are the second largest producer of the resource in the world.
(Cameco CFO, Grant Isaac)
The two day event welcomed more than 1200 registered participants including over 380 mining company personal.
