Belaruskali starts planned maintenance at MOP mine

Belarusian state-owned potash producer Belaruskali started 14 days of planned maintenance at its fourth MOP mine on 30 July.

It will carry out repairs on its first and third mines in September and October.

The company will run at a minimum 70pc of production capacity in August, it said.

Belaruskali made a series of equipment maintenance and repair process improvements last year that have reduced turnaround times and increased output. Turnaround times at Belaruskali's production facilities have been reduced to 10-14 days from 21 days. And going forward, the producer aims to perform maintenance every two years instead of roughly every year.

Belaruskali plans to install a new vacuum crystalliser at its fourth production facility. The company previously said it expects the project to be completed by mid-2018, resulting in a 30pc increase in white MOP production. Production unit 4 is Belaruskali's only facility that can produce white MOP.