Nutrien’s US$1bn Longview potash terminal: logistics implications for Canadian ports
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Canada’s federal government has condemned Nutrien’s plan to build a US$1 billion potash export terminal at Longview, Washington, rather than expanding capacity at Canadian ports such as Vancouver or Prince Rupert. Ottawa argues the greenfield US terminal could divert millions of tonnes of Saskatchewan potash away from Canadian rail and port infrastructure, weakening domestic supply chains and associated dredging, berth and storage investments. The dispute signals heightened political scrutiny of cross-border logistics choices for bulk commodities and may affect future approvals for rail and terminal upgrades in Canada.
Technical Brief
- Policy responses under discussion include tighter conditions on future federal support for bulk export logistics projects.
- For other bulk commodities, cross-border siting of terminals may now trigger more detailed supply-chain impact assessments.
Our Take
Among the 53 Infrastructure stories in our coverage, very few involve potash logistics, so Nutrien’s proposed US$1 billion potash export terminal stands out as one of the more capital-intensive, single-commodity port plays rather than a multi-bulk facility.
For a Canadian potash producer like Nutrien, siting a terminal at Longview, Washington, would diversify export routes away from Canadian West Coast ports, which could reduce exposure to domestic rail and port labour disruptions that have affected bulk exports in recent years.
Political pushback in the United States against a Canadian-owned potash export terminal may complicate long-term offtake and routing strategies, potentially reinforcing the value of incremental debottlenecking at existing Canadian terminals as a competing capital allocation option.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
Related Articles
Related Industries & Products
Mining
Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.
Construction
Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.
CMRR-io
Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.
HYDROGEO-io
Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.
GEODB-io
Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.


