Overview
- BHP has increased the phase one budget for its Saskatchewan Jansen potash project to US$7.0–7.4 billion, reflecting a roughly 30 percent rise over the original US$5.7 billion estimate.
- The miner has pushed first production back to mid-2027 from end-2026 following cost pressures.
- It attributes the overruns to inflationary escalation, design scope changes and lower-than-expected construction productivity.
- Phase one is now 68 percent complete after US$4.5 billion in spending, with US$400 million invested in the second phase to date.
- BHP is evaluating a two-year deferral of the second phase to its 2031 financial year in response to anticipated medium-term potash supply growth.