Emmerson finalises feasibility study for road connections to Khemisset project

Highlights

• Selection of preferred Project Site completed following comprehensive Options Study.
• Road connection design and costing completed - total budgeted cost for construction of access roads via the A2 toll road is approximately US$2 million including a 15% contingency.
• Following confirmation of zero capital cost required at Port, the road connection will be the only pre-production CAPEX required for entire logistics solution for Khemisset.
• Selected site location requires only approximately 3.2 km of paved roads to be constructed to connect the Project to existing high-quality highway, with an additional approximately 9.6 km of gravel internal roads included in the design estimate.
• No requirement to construct expensive rail connections.
• Design and budget completed by independent engineering group, Golder Associates ("Golder"), according to AusIMM guidelines for capital cost estimates.
• Full Feasibility Study on track for delivery in 1H20, in line with forecasts.

Hayden Locke, CEO of Emmerson, commented: "We identified the location of the Khemisset project as one of its major strengths from the outset; the proximity to world class existing infrastructure is a key tangible benefit. To be able to select a site which connects to a highway so readily and with such low capital cost allows us to save significant amounts of pre-production spend compared to the majority of potash development projects globally.

"Once connected to the A2 toll road, trucks transporting potash can drive directly to the Port of Casablanca for shipping to our customers throughout the Atlantic corridor. Importantly, the existing roads all the way to Port are in fantastic condition, requiring no additional investment, and have significant capacity for the trucks that Khemisset will require. The ability to have such a simple and cost-effective end-to-end logistics solution will benefit the Project not only through financing and construction, but throughout its lifecycle.

"This is the second completed workstream item from the ongoing Feasibility Study, which continues to progress well and is on schedule. We look forward to continuing to keep the market updated with various parts of the study as we progress towards its final release during the first half of 2020."

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/potash/16012020/emmerson-finalises-feasibility-study-for-road-connections-to-khemisset-project/