Woodsmith Mine
Artist's impression of the mine site
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| Location | |
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 Woodsmith Mine
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| Location | Sneatonthorpe |
| County | North Yorkshire |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 54°25′55″N 0°37′30″W / 54.431882°N 0.625037°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Potash Polyhalite |
| Production | 20 million tonnes |
| Type | Underground |
| Greatest depth | 4,900 feet (1,500 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 2017 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Sirius Minerals |
| Website | http://siriusminerals.com/ |
Woodsmith Mine is a deep potash and polyhalite mine located near to the hamlet of Sneatonthorpe, Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. The venture was started by York Potash Ltd, which became a subsidiary of Sirius Minerals plc whose primary focus is the development of the polyhalite project. The project will mine the world’s largest deposit of polyhalite – a naturally occurring mineral. Because the project would require mining to be undertaken in the North York Moors National Park, many objections were raised to the mine and the proposed conveyor that would be installed to transport the raw material offsite to a plant on Teesside 23 miles (37 km) away.
The mine is expected to have a life of 100 years and has been labelled the biggest mining project in Britain for decades.
The initial proposal was forwarded from York Potash to the North York Moors National Park Authority in 2011. This enabled the Authority to allow test drilling at various sites along the coast between Whitby and Scarborough. The company decided to develop a site next to Doves Nest farm near to the hamlet of Sneatonthorpe.
Sirius withdrew its initial planning application in 2013 to re-examine key elements, particularly the project’s environmental impact. Plans were resubmitted in 2014 with notable changes including an underground system of conveyor belts to transport the dry mineral, instead of a slurry pipeline, and other mitigation efforts. Originally, the transport methods for delivering the product from the mine were conveyor, pipeline and by rail on the Esk Valley line.
The decision from members of the North York Moors National Park Authority to resolve to grant planning permission for the mine and mineral transport system, was made at a public meeting on 30 June 2015. When complete, the Project would be among the largest mining projects ever built in the United Kingdom.
Sirius intend to have the mine and associated tunnel operational by 2021, with preferred bidder status on construction being announced in June 2016.
The project requires the company to construct two 1,500 m (4,900 ft) shafts to reach the mineral seam which includes a mineable area of around 25,200 hectares (62,000 acres).
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