A new potash project is one step closer to digging in on a new mine in the Sussex, N.B., area. The Atlantic Potash Millstream Corporation (APMC) has begun core drilling at its Millstream Potash Project location, which officials say is a key step to see the deposit move toward a pre-feasibility study. APMC CEO and director Keith Attoe says the area has an estimated 52 million tonnes of KCI, or potassium chloride, the most commonly used potash fertilizer. The mine itself would have a 25-year lifespan and produce around 2 million tonnes of the valuable resource on an annual basis. “What we’re doing now, the next two holes are for rock mechanics” Attoe tells CTV. “That has to do with the mine design. We brought in potash mining consultants from Germany (Ercosplan), and in Germany the geology is similar to southern New Brunswick. So, they have potash mines that they’ve been mining for well over a hundred years, and they don’t have the water inflow that we have. We don’t expect to have the same problem that say, Cassidy Lake or Penobsquis has had for that matter.” A drilling contract has been signed with Nova Scotia company Logan Drilling for a pair of large-diameter core roles that will each drill to a depth of around 1,100 metres. The core, called a PQ core, is required to study the rock mechanics to allow for Ercosplan to analyze the core samples for the mine design. Attoe believes if all goes according to plan, he sees an operating mine harvesting potash in the area in no more than five years. As for possible markets for the resource, Attoe see Brazil, and parts of India and China as countries who need the fertilizer. “It’s a huge advantage to be close to the port in Saint John, and they’ve been very busy,” Attoe points out, with the mine site only located 70km west of the shipping hub. “The port has been a very business friendly as far as discussions.” Potash mining in the area is nothing new for residents. For over 30 years the Picadilly Potash mine was an economic driver for the region before Nutrien (then known as the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan) ceased operations in 2016 citing a weakened fertilizer market. In January, the company told CTV there is no current plans to resume large scale potash mining on site. While work on the project has been underway for several years, Attoe admits the prospect of the mine coming to fruition became much more exciting when the province introduced a new Mineral Resources Act earlier in 2026. “Everything to do with mining has to do with the government relations,” says Attoe. “Right now, I would say the provincial and federal governments, we’re very fortunate to have them. I think there are people for the job, and I think they’re doing a good job under difficult circumstances. I don’t think there is anyone out there that could do better.” Attoe estimates it cost upwards of $2 billion to get the mine in operation and would provide a little under 300 jobs for the area. While recognizing the process of seeing a mine return to the area is still very early in the process, Mayor for Butternut Valley Al Brown says it would be a “fantastic” development for the region. He says between the closure of the Picadilly mine a decade ago, and the pending closure of Dairytown announced earlier this year, his community has been dealt some tough blows. “It would be a big boon to the economy,” says Brown. “It would be similar to what the old mine had before they began their expansion process. We’re hopeful that it’ll develop.” Brown says the return of a large employer to his community will bring new young families to settle in the area which will help grow the municipality. In an email to CTV News, New Brunswick’s Department of Natural Resources notes the site is still in the very early stages of becoming a potential development of the potash resource. They say the current drilling stage is normal for this stage of information gathering to better understand the resource in the area. “The drilling will help the company better understand the resource and determine how a potential mine could be designed and operated responsibly,” reads the statement. “The Department of Natural Resources will continue to monitor the work as the project progresses and ensure the appropriate requirements are followed.” “The next step for the company is a pre-feasibility study, and the drilling being undertaken will help provide the information needed for that work.” The department also says that more detailing engineering work, an environmental impact assessment, an economic feasibility study, and reclamation plans will all needed to be completed before getting approval from the minister. Potash Production Director of Bradshaw Research for Mining and Minerals at the University of British Colombia John Steen says potash is an essential nutrient for the agricultural industry around the globe. The resource has been bantered about in the news of late after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was looking at buying the resource from Belarus as opposed to Canada for a cheaper price. The president later reversed course on the decision. Steen says Canada is the largest producer of potash on the planet, and having mines on both ends of the country could have its benefits. “Having it close to the port access and also close to the Atlantic shipping routes, particularly with supplying to Brazil, which is a very large consumer of potash, is definitely beneficial,” Steen says. While any mining practice will have some environmental impacts, Steen says potash doesn’t leave a “huge scar” on a landscape like other mines. “Generally it has good support,” he says. “Every mine has an environmental impact, but underground mining is less visible than we’d say surface mining.” As far as potash projects go, Steen says the Millstream site is a rather small operation. He says in order for the mine to be a success it will have highly sustained potash prices. “If it was a slam dunk economically project, it would have been developed a few years back.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
