Sustainable Mining at ICL Iberia (Iberpotash)

ICL Iberia is the first large-scale, underground mining company engaged in mining of non-arid minerals in Spain and Europe to be certified for sustainable mining. \

In 2020, ICL Iberia was certified for UNE 22470 and 22480 standards, known as the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) Initiative, which accredited ICL Iberia as a sustainable mining company.

Spain is the first European country to adopt these standards, promoted by the global leadership of the Mining Association of Canada (MAC).

The TSM initiative, which has been approved and is currently regulated by the Spanish Standardization Authority, requires mining companies to annually audit their performance in key areas. These include tailings management, community outreach, health, safety, biodiversity conservation, crisis management, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission management and the prevention of child and forced labor. The audit report is available to the public and is externally verified every three years to ensure reporting accuracy.

As part of its sustainable mining model, ICL Iberia signed an agreement in April 2021 with the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) for the construction of a new brine collector. This will enable the Company to promote a major industrial sustainability project.

The Phoenix Plan

The Phoenix Plan is a strategic project by ICL which includes the industrial development of the Bages basin. It has considerable impact on the infrastructure and logistics of the area and will affect international markets. With overall investments of more than 500 million Euros by the Company, the Phoenix Plan involves the extension and modernization of ICL’s sites, improvement of transport infrastructure, expansion of logistics facilities at the Port of Barcelona and increased production of salt and potash.

8.2

Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high value added and labor intensive sectors.

The Phoenix Plan’s main goals are to consolidate ICL Iberia’s mining operations in Suria, and to expand its potash production capacity to over one million tonnes, while making its activities more efficient and sustainable. In 2021, ICL Iberia completed its construction of a 5 km ramp at the Cabanasses mine that connects the 900-meter-deep mine to the Suria site. The ramp uses high-tech machinery to significantly increase the efficiency of extracting minerals in the mine, reducing truck transport and CO2 emissions, as well as improving safety and ventilation conditions.

An innovative salt purification site was completed in 2018, and ICL’s new terminal at the Port of Barcelona was inaugurated in 2020. The new terminal more than quadruples ICL’s loading capacity, while reducing its environmental impact. The mines were consolidated in 2021, as all mining activities concentrated at the Cabanasses mine in Suria.

12.2

By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.

12.4

By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

12.5

By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

The Salt Purification Plant

In 2018, ICL Iberia launched its new innovative salt purification site at its Sallent site adjacent to the Cogulló salt deposit. 2.5 million euros were invested in the new site which has a capacity to process 450 thousand tonnes of salt per year, averaging 50 tonnes per hour. The new site is part of a systematic plan to reduce the salt accumulated at the Cogulló deposit.

The new process uses the salt byproduct to create a high purity salt that is in demand by various industries. This new plant is one of our most important projects because it represents the realization of the salt deposits restoration process and is an example of our commitment to the Bages region and our environmental and sustainable policies.

6.3

By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increase recycling and safe reuse globally

6.6

By 2020, protect and restore water related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers, and lakes.

Restoration of The Salt Deposits

ICL Iberia’s mine tailing management is far reaching. Salt is a byproduct of mining potash in ICL Iberia’s underground mines. As a result, ICL Iberia has implemented numerous measures to control and manage its salt deposits in Suria and Sallent, including using the best available techniques (BAT – based on reference documents published by the European Commission) to manage salt deposits. ICL’s goal is to restore salt deposit sites and to maintain the water quality in two nearby rivers by preventing salt water from reaching them and mixing with freshwater.

Sallent's Salt Deposits

The El Cogulló salt deposit was created in 1977 to store excess salt resulting from the extraction of potash at the Vilafruns mine. It was in use by companies that operated the mine prior to ICL Iberia. On June 30, 2019, the deposit was shut down.

La Botjosa is a mining colony built in the 1930’s just off the Sallent site to house families of miners working at the mine. Adjacent to it is a salt deposit of the same name which was used to store salt from potash extraction prior to the opening of El Cogulló.

The deposit has been inactive since the early 1970’s when a state–owned company, Potasas Ibéricas, closed it permanently. Without making any use of the deposit, ICL Iberia has committed to restoring it, and in recent years has taken a series of preventive measures and environmental steps. During 2019, ICL conducted surveys of the deposit as part of its restoration plan, and in 2020 it began on site testing and actual removal of salt from the deposit, which continued throughout 2021 and 2022.

The Restoration Process

A multi-year program is currently underway to restore ICL Iberia’s salt deposits by concentrating efforts on wastewater drainage and sludge treatment.

The restoration program proposed by ICL includes the rehabilitation of the La Botjosa and El Cogulló deposits, as well as a salt purification process that will create value by reintroducing salt into the value chain, selling it as a product.

To implement a restoration plan which takes into consideration environmental, social, technological, and economic aspects, ICL Iberia, together with a team of experts, analyzed a detailed study containing six proposals, selecting the most appropriate one based on the highest level of technical knowledge available to date. The proposal selected by ICL after considering environmental, social, technological, and economic aspects, combines the removal of salt from the two deposits by constructing a new salt purification plant, and transferring the remaining salt to the sea through a new collector.

The Process

In accordance with the restoration plan proposed by ICL and the Urban Master Plan of the territory, the restoration process of the two salt deposits began at La Botjosa. It is expected that restoration work at this deposit will require approximately five years once required permits are received and work begins.

Upon completion of construction of the new collector, restoration of La Botjosa will be coordinated with El Cogulló’s restoration work. It is estimated that it will require about 45 years to restore this deposit.

Operating rates are expected to reach an average of 1,050,000 tonnes per year.

To restore the mountain, salt must be extracted and treated. To do this, a system (milling machine or similar) will be used to grind and remove salt superficially. This extracted salt will be taken to the primary production site where it will be treated. A portion of the salt will be commercialized while the remainder will be sent to the sea through the new collector.

Improving Surface and Groundwater Quality

ICL Iberia has implemented numerous measures, preventative in most cases, to environmentally control and manage its salt deposits at Suria and Sallent. ICL’s goals are to prevent salt water from reaching and mixing with freshwater, and to create a sustainable relationship with its surrounding areas.

ICL Iberia has constructed new collection points and established multiple control points for quantitative and qualitative water analysis. It has also been implementing measures to minimize salt accumulation into the deposits, as well as groundwater control measures.

New preventive measures are also being implemented in the Suria salt deposit. Its newest zone is completely waterproof, and a complex drainage system is being built. ICL Iberia previously performed an exhaustive research plan, including the excavation of trenches and drilling of boreholes to evaluate and assess soil quality at the Suria site and to ensure that all salty water is properly managed.

Soil Desalination

As the ground is cleared during the salt removal process, the soil under La Botjosa and Cogulló reservoirs will be washed to remove any remaining salt.

Existing perimeter ponds and canals will be maintained, as will other preventive and corrective systems to ensure control of effluents until all saline materials are removed from the deposits.

15.1

By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

IFA 2022 Green Leaf Award

ICL Iberia was awarded the International Fertilizer Association’s (IFA) Green Leaf Award for the company’s safety, health, and environmental excellence. ICL Iberia’s site in Suria, Spain, was recognized in the Phosphate/Potash Producer Category for its excellent environmental case study and the overall world class EHS management of its fertilizer mining site. Read more on the production site and its successful Sustainable Mining Management System, in ICL Iberia.