Uralkali boosts potash output 29% in H1
MOSCOW. July 14 (Interfax) - Uralkali increased output of saleable potassium chloride at its by 29% year-on-year to 3.1 million tonnes in the first half of 2011, a company press release says.
That includes production at the Solikamsky mine since May 17, when fellow fertilizer-maker Silvinit was liquidated. The two completed their merger during the second quarter. Factoring that mine in, output was up 58% at 1.9 million tonnes for the second quarter.
Output of saleable potash at Uralkali's Bereznikovsy and Solikamsky mines came to 5.22 million tonnes in the first half, 4.6% more than Uralkali and Silvinit produced in aggregate in H1 2010.
Combined output was flat at 2.7 million tonnes for Q2.
Uralkali and Silvinit, Russia's only potash producers, turned out 10 million tonnes of the product last year. Plans call for increasing the merger entity's capacity from 10.6 million to 13 million tonnes.