Interview with Nolan Peterson, CEO of Atlas Salt

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/atlas-salt-tsxvsalt-developer-targets-north-americas-30-40-de-icing-salt-supply-gap-8975

Recording date: 5th February 2026

North America faces a growing crisis in road salt supply that most investors have overlooked. While the US$26 billion global salt market operates largely beneath public awareness, severe winter weather across the northeastern United States and Canada has exposed a structural deficit that has persisted for decades. Atlas Salt (TSXV:SALT) is developing the Great Atlantic Salt Project in western Newfoundland—the continent's first new salt mine in nearly 30 years—to address this critical infrastructure gap.

The North American deicing road salt market imports 8-10 million tons annually to meet demand that domestic production cannot satisfy. Existing mines date predominantly from the mid-20th century, with operations beginning between 1906 and 1982. These aging facilities operate at depths of 500-600 meters, often beneath lakes, requiring high operating costs and substantial capital expenditures. Regulatory challenges and thin historical margins have prevented new mine development despite growing demand from population growth, expanded road networks, and increased vehicle numbers.

Atlas Salt's competitive advantage stems from its shallow 200-meter deposit depth, which allows access via horizontal drift rather than expensive vertical shaft construction. Located just three kilometers from an existing port facility, the project gains direct access to Atlantic Ocean shipping lanes and the eastern seaboard market. The simplified production process requires only mechanical crushing of 96% grade salt—no chemical processing, tailings, or refining—enabling two-month environmental assessment approval.

At full production capacity of 4 million tons annually, Atlas would need to capture only 30-40% of current import volumes, targeting non-cyclical government customers legally mandated to purchase salt for road safety. The market's inelastic demand was demonstrated in January 2026 when Ontario spot prices surged from $65-75 per ton to over $190 during severe winter conditions. CEO Nolan Peterson emphasizes the dual investment appeal: "We are working with lenders who view this as investing into an airport or power plant—something that has long-term sales baked in because you're selling your product to governments, citizens and people."

View Atlas Salt's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/atlas-salt

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