Woodsmith Mine

Woodsmith Mine is a deep planned potash and polyhalite mine located near the hamlet of Sneatonthorpe, Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. The venture was started by York Potash Ltd, which became a subsidiary of Sirius Minerals plc whose primary focus was the development of the polyhalite project. The project will mine the world's largest known deposit of polyhalite – a naturally occurring mineral. Because the project would require mining to be undertaken in the North York Moors National Park, many objections were raised to the mine and the proposed underground conveyor that would be installed to transport the raw material offsite to a plant on Teesside 37 km (23 mi) away. The mine is expected to have a life of 100 years and has been labelled the biggest mining project in Britain for decades; its twin shafts will be the deepest commercial mineshafts in Britain. The project is expected to generate over £100 billion for the UK economy over a period of 50 years. Once it is functioning it will be the deepest mine in Europe and have the longest tunnel in Great Britain.