Name of the Project
Lake Way sulphate of potash (SoP) project.

Location
The project is located in the Northern Goldfields region of Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
Potash developer Salt Lake Potash (SO4).

Project Description
A bankable feasibility study has demonstrated the potential for Lake Way to support an exceptionally high margin through the production of high-grade SoP, even in the most extreme downside pricing scenarios.

The project has a high-grade probable ore reserve of 5.4-million SoP for 2.4-million tonnes of contained potassium at an initial grade of 6.8 kg/m3, underpinning a life-of-mine (LoM) of 20 years.

The LoM production target of 245 000 t/y of SoP is supported by a salt harvest of 2.27-million tonnes a year, which provides direct feed for the process plant, and potassium chloride addition.

Brine required to produce these harvested salts will be sourced from a network of trenches built in the superficial lake-bed sediments and bores that pump brine from the underground paleochannel.

Brine will be extracted using surface trenching and vertical bores.

Solar evaporations ponds covering 909 ha will be built on the lake playa. These ponds will be used to concentrate the brine extracted from the Lake Way resource and precipitate potassium-containing harvest salts.

Potential Job Creation
The project is expected to create about 430 full-time jobs in Western Australia during the construction phase and more than 100 ongoing jobs, including opportunities for members of local Indigenous communities.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of A$696-million and an internal rate of return of 38%, with a payback of 3.5 years.

Capital Expenditure
Following the progress in detailed engineering and vendor procurement, the budget for Lake Way has increased marginally from A$254-million to A$264-million, including an unallocated A$18-million contingency.

Planned Start/End Date
The project is on track for first sales in the first quarter of 2021.

Latest Developments
The Lake Way potash project is fully funded after executing a $138-million debt-financing package and a fully underwritten equity placement and accelerated nonrenounceable entitlement offer to raise A$98.5-million.

The $138-million syndicated facility agreement was struck with Taurus Mining Finance Fund, which will provide $91-million, and the Australian federal government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), which will fund up to $47-million.

The finance facility will have a four-year tenor and an interest rate of 9% a year, payable quarterly on drawn funds, with no scheduled repayments or debt amortisation until the end of March 2022.

In addition to the debt-financing package, Salt Lake will also undertake a fully underwritten placement and accelerated nonrenounceable entitlement offer, at 50c a share, to raise A$98.5-million.

More than 197-million ordinary shares will be on offer, with eligible shareholders invited to apply for one new share for every 3.2 shares held, at an offer price of 50c a share. The offer price represents an 18% discount to Salt Lake’s closing price on August 4, and a 16% discount to the company’s five-day volume-weighted average share price.

The placement will include a retail and institutional component, with the institutional component having opened on August 5 and the retail component on August 14.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
SO4, Argus Media Group and CRU Consulting (industry analysis and marketing); SO4, Groundwater Science and HydroGeoEnviro (resource and reserve estimate); SO4 and Ad-Infinitum (mine planning); SO4, Cardno, Coffey Tetra Tech and Tetra Tech Proteus (brine extraction); SO4, Ad-Infinitum, Coffey Tetra Tech, Tetra Tech Proteus and Knight Piésold (brine evaporation); SO4, CPPC, Saskatchewan Research Council, Wood Group and GR Engineering Services (process plant); SO4 and GR Engineering Services (nonprocess infrastructure); SO4 (product logistics, land access, native titles, heritage and social responsibility, operations management); SO4, Bamford Consulting Ecologists, Botanica Consulting, Bennelongia Environmental Consultants, Pendragon Environmental Solutions (environment and approvals); SO4, GR Engineering Services (project implementation, EPC and EPCM); SO4, GR Engineering Services and Turner & Townsend (capital and operating costs); SO4 and EPM Group (risk analysis) and SO4, CAM Financial Modelling (economic analysis).

Contact Details for Project Information
SO4, tel +61 8 6559 5800 or email info@saltlakepotash.com.au.