The Spanish subsidiary of ICL, the mining giant that operates the former Iberpotash in Súria, resisted the global fall in the fertilizer market last year. The company closed the year with a turnover of 348 million dollars (322 million euros at the current exchange rate), barely 5% less than a year before, compared to a drop in the group's turnover of almost 25%, to 7.5 billion dollars. On the other hand, ICL Spain made an important commercial leap by signing an agreement to sell residual salt from the extraction of potash with the French group Salins, a company with which it has had important disputes in the past.
ICL sources indicate that the Spanish subsidiary achieved a smoother drop in turnover due to “customer loyalty” and a more stable local market. The company also did not accuse the slightest activity related to the fatal accident at the Cabanassess mine, which cost the lives of three people and forced the activity to stop.
In the security chapter, the company points out that investments are constant. “Numerous actions are carried out annually with the desire to address continuous improvements in this area, a priority for the company. With the accident, the ongoing measures were intensified,” indicate the aforementioned sources. However, no specific investment data is provided. The company does highlight that all types of actions have been carried out, such as training of workers, including the incorporation of new technologies in the mine or the improvement of signage in the complex, among many others.
On the commercial side, ICL Spain signed an agreement with Salinera Salins, a subsidiary of Groupe Salins to market specialty salt. “It is a high-purity product intended for human and animal nutrition and water treatment,” comments the company.
Until now ICL was marketing the product, but the company had been looking for a partner for years. In fact, the Israeli group maintained an alliance with the Dutch AkzoNobel from 2014 to 2018, but both companies broke the agreement, which ceased to be effective in 2020.
