OREANDA-NEWS. December 02, 2009. Uralkali (Berezniki, Perm Territory) has decided to amend the schedule for the realization of its investment programme and the launch of new production capacity. According to the amended plan, the company will now achieve production capacity of 7 mln tonnes of potassium chloride in 2012.

The decision to optimize the investment portfolio has been prompted by the slow recovery of global potash demand, which has been hit by the global economic crisis. Analysis of the potash market shows that, although the industry’s fundamentals remain very strong, it will take some time for demand to recover to the pre-crisis level. Uralkali has therefore taken the prudent decision to reschedule the launch of new production capacity to 2012, by which time potash demand might recover to absorb the increased supply.

Therefore, Uralkali’s investment programme schedule for 2010 – 2012 is as follows:

Year    Production capacity

2010    5.5 mln tonnes

2011    5.5 mln tonnes

2012    7 mln tonnes.