EuroChem has said that its mines and production facilities are still open for business and working as normal, despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.The Switzerland-headquartered company is taking steps, such as ensuring proper stocks of critical raw materials, to ensure they remain open. IT infrastructure has been upgraded to handle more remote working.Currently most challenges that the company foresees are likely to come in its supply chain, and relate to quarantine restrictions in ports and constraints on truck deliveries. EuroChem is working closely with customers and logistics providers to ensure all of its products get to their destination.
The Woodsmith polyhalite project in North Yorkshire, UK, has substantially reduced the number of people on its construction sites, with social distancing and hygiene measures being implemented in line with government guidance. Workers are also no longer being transported to site by bus and a temperature monitoring programme is being implemented.Numbers active at the Woodsmith site are expected to reduce further in the coming days, and tunnelling on Drive 1 of the mineral transport system from Wilton has been paused.
Meanwhile, Kropz, along with Kropz Elandsfontein, has said that it does not anticipate being adversely impacted by the directive issued by the South African government ordering a 21-day national lockdown. The company, which operates as a plant nutrient producer, focusing on exploration, development, and mining of fertilizer feed minerals, will continue to progress all its workstreams as previously outlined. In particular, the Elandsfontein phosphate project timetable is not currently affected. In line with the directive, care and maintenance will continue onsite.Kropz continues to also monitor the situation closely in the Republic of Congo, where the company’s 100% owned Hinda phosphate project is located. The authorities in the country have introduced a number of measures to limit the spread of the virus including the closure of all air, land and maritime borders as of 21 March 2020.
