The idea of the Potash project was based on the Potash Plant located on the north-western shores of the Dead Sea during the British Mandate. The old plant was destroyed but the idea remained alive and a Pan Arab company was formed in 1956 to implement a project for the production of Potash using the minerals of the Dead Sea.

The site is located 110 kilometers south of Amman and 200 kilometers north of Aqaba. The site is a Solar Evaporation Pond System of an area of 150 square kilometers and processing plants for the ore.

The investment in the original project, including substantial infrastructure was nearly 480 Million USD. Financing was obtained through loans from international finance institutions and aid agencies as well as Arab development funds. The project began in 1976 with tests and experiments to determine the parameters of various technologies and ideas in a very hostile environment. Construction began in 1979 and was completed in 1982. At the end of construction, about (117) kilometers of seepage proof dykes were built (other dykes built later on). These were more than 8 meters wide at the top and were an engineering challenge to be built on top of a non- stable sea bed. The excavation carried out during the construction period was of a colossal magnitude, 16 million cubic meters of earth material was displaced.

Potash production began in 1983 and has since progressed with various schemes aimed at optimizing and expanding this production. The initial plant was built to a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of product.

This was expanded in the late eighties to handle 1.4 million tonnes and key modifications were undertaken with the Solar System to enhance the production of the ore accordingly. A second plant based on different technology and of a capacity of 0.4 million tonnes was built in 1994 and this brought the total production capacity to 1.8 million tonnes. The cost of the new plant was around 120 million USD. There are plans to expand through further optimization of the existing plants. Projects are underway to expand the Solar Evaporation System and construct another plant and thus raise the capacity to 2.4 million tonnes of product after the year 2008.

The capital of the Arab Potash Company is 83.318 million Jordanian Dinars. It has a concession from the Jordanian Government to exploit, manufacture, and market the mineral resources of the Dead Sea, until 2058.

The Arab Potash Company employs over 2000 personnel and has offices in Amman, Safi and Aqaba. It owns extensive housing and recreational facilities near its plants, and in addition, it provides the surrounding region with assistance in social, medical, economic and vocational development..