Poland’s proven economic resources of potassium-magnesium salts are 670 million tonnes – quite a lot considering the global resources. The figures may suggest that Poland is a leading producer and exporter of that commodity. However, the true story is quite different. Today, potash salt is not mined in Poland.
In fact, the deposit at Kłodawa salt dome had been mined from 1980 through 2000, but intermittently and in small amounts. Chloride potassium-magnesium salts (carnallite and sylvine) occurring in that deposit are considered as associated mineable mineral. They have been extracted depending on the needs of the Kłodawa Rock Salt Mine. Production was not quite economic due to a low quality of the product and difficult mining conditions. Finally, it has been discontinued and all domestic demand is now satisfied by imports...there’s still hope, though.
The situation is likely to change soon, as there is a growing interest in polyhalite deposits that occur in the Puck Region (Pomerania). These deposits have been little investigated so far, but in late 2014 the Minister of the Environment granted a prospection and exploration concession to KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. that launched a geophysical survey in 2015. The decision on whether to build underground potash mines will be contingent on the results of the survey.
