A POTASH miner has started work to extend operations for another 40 years.

ICL UK is talking to the National Park over renewing exploration rights at its mine in Boulby, east Cleveland.

The plans provide fresh optimism for the business, known locally as Cleveland Potash, which has been forced to cut jobs to ease the burden of dwindling reserves and market pressures.

The company’s existing permissions are due to expire in 2023.

However, officials, who late last year told The Northern Echo they would go ahead with the application process, have now confirmed they are seeking new consent, which could see operations run well into the 2060s.

Engineer Amec Foster Wheeler, based in Darlington, has been appointed as lead consultant.

Tests previously showed stocks of ICL’s traditional potash fertiliser were close to exhaustion and the firm is now restructuring operations to ramp up work on the multi-nutrient fertiliser polyhalite, which it markets as polysulphate.

It is building a plant to process polysulphate on a larger scale and has ambitions of extracting and handling a million tonnes by 2020, while it is also pursuing new mineral blends to attract customers in at least 40 countries.

Bosses previously said the business was “creating a future” at Boulby, despite its travails, and Marc Kirsten, managing director, said nothing has changed.

He added: “The decision to seek permission for a further 40 years demonstrates our commitment.

“We want to ensure Boulby can continue to make a significant contribution to the local community and there will be a great deal of detailed work in the coming months in advance of submitting the application.”

In August, ICL warned 140 jobs, mainly those of miners, were at risk as it continued to battle falling reserves and last week The Northern Echo revealed more than 100 are due to leave before Christmas.

Around 350 people, including ICL staff and contractors, left months earlier and bosses have refused to rule out further changes as the company continues its transition to polysulphate.

Speaking exclusively to The Northern Echo earlier this year, Peter Smith, ICL’s potash executive vice president, said bosses took no satisfaction from axing staff.

However, he said falling potash prices and the need to hasten polysulphate’s arrival, complete with potential high-value marques, was paramount.

He said: “We understand this will cause concern for employees, their families and the wider community but it is aimed at ensuring ICL has a future.

“We are genuine about trying to create a future but we are businessmen and have to do our jobs.

“It’s a hard pill for people to swallow and I genuinely feel for them.

“We have to develop demand and we think we can ramp it up to one million tonnes.

“We have got to be smart about this; if we just try to produce commodity we are going to do it harder.”