TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Holders of  Athabasca Potash shares and options have approved the acquisition of the company by the world's biggest miner, BHP Billiton, the junior company said on Thursday.

Shareholders approved the arrangement at a special meeting a day earlier.

BHP Billiton has agreed to buy Athabasca for $8,35 a share.

The companies will apply for a final court order in Saskatchewan on Friday, and expect the transaction to close early next week.

Athabasca shares will be delisted from the TSX a few days later.

BHP Billiton has said it wants to become a big producer of potash, to take advantage of expected future demand for the crop nutrient.

Athabasca's flagship Burr project is located next to BHP Billiton's own Jansen project, in the province of Saskatchewan, and the smaller firm holds one of the largest exploration permit areas in the Saskatchewan basin, covering about 6 900 km², BHP said when announced the deal in January.

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