What we do
We are an information company, working with mining-service companies (suppliers, consultants and contractors).
We report on mining projects in Australia, offering reports that are accurate, timely, comprehensive and moderately priced.
We offer directories of key people in mining in Australia. Our most recent directory covers procurement people working with mining companies.
And we undertake consultancy work, ranging from providing strategic advice on particular markets, to analysing market trends and assisting clients in pursuing specific market opportunities.
Further information
See Samples and Order Form above for further details of the project reports and procurement directory.
A paper outlining our consultancy experience over the past decade is available on request.
Source: Stephen Codrington
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Mining Notes
FERTILISER AND MINING
2 September 2020
Australia does not currently produce sulphate of potash, a high-grade fertilizer. Potassium-based, it is used particularly for fruit, vegetables and tree nuts.
But in coming years, Western Australia looks set to become a world-class producer, with the following projects under construction or on-the-drawing-board (see also the map below):
|
|
Company
|
Project
|
Production
|
Construction
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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1
|
Kalium Lakes
|
Beyondie
|
90,000
|
Underway. First production Q3 2021
|
|
2
|
Salt Lake Potash
|
Lake Way
|
150,000
|
Underway. First production 2022
|
|
3
|
Australian Potash
|
Lake Wells
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150,000
|
Commence by Q2 2021
|
|
4
|
BCI Minerals
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Mardie
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245,000
|
Commence mid-2021
|
|
5
|
Agrimin
|
Lake Mackay
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450,000
|
Commence mid-2021
|
|
6
|
Reward Minerals
|
Lake Disappointment
|
400,000
|
To be determined
|
Production is annual, in tonnes. Construction timetables are as given by the company concerned and may not hold in all cases.
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WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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|
|
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Should all these projects go ahead, Western
Australia will account for approximately 20% of current world production of sulphate of potash.
The Western Australian projects entail the extraction of underground brine, using bores and trenches. The brine is evaporated in ponds and then processed, with this to include crushing, flotation and crystallization. (Mardie (4), an exception, is based on seawater and Swiss processing technology.)
Transport to port (typically by truck) can be a major cost. For example, Lake Wells (3) and Lake Mackay (5) are each over 900 kilometres from their respective ports (Geraldton in the southwest and Wyndham in the north of the state).
An Australian mining company (Dankali) is also the operator of a major sulphate-of-potash project in Eritrea in Africa (bordering the Red Sea). Early works are underway, with annual production to reach 450,000 tonnes. Eritrea and neighbouring Ethiopia have large sulphate-of-potash resources.
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China accounts for over half of global consumption of sulphate of potash. However, good growth prospects are seen in other parts of Asia and Africa, where consumption is still relatively low. Growth will be stimulated by
population growth and the declining ratio of arable land to population.
