Morocco-focussed potash development company Emmerson has announced that the Commission Ministérielle de Pilotage has upheld the company's referral of environmental approval and has asked that the matter be returned to the Commission Régionale Unifiée d'Investissement (CRUI) for reconsideration.

Emmerson referred the decision of the CRUI to the Commission Ministérielle de Pilotage regarding the Khemisset potash project’s environmental approval in July 2023.

The committee has also invited Emmerson to update the project's environmental-impact assessment (EIA) and re-submit it to the CRUI, providing an opportunity for the company to make any changes or enhancements to the submission.

"We are very pleased that the committee has upheld our referral in this matter. We now look forward to re-engaging with the CRUI to facilitate the approval of the EIA for the project.

“The company maintains its conviction that the project is world class and will provide significant value and benefit to the Khemisset region, the Kingdom of Morocco and to the company itself. We will of course provide updates in this matter as soon as we are able,” says CEO Graham Clarke.

Emmerson is focused on advancing the Khemisset project into a low-cost, high-margin supplier of potash, and the first primary producer on the African continent.

With an initial 19-year life-of-mine, the development of Khemisset is expected to deliver long-term investment and financial contributions to Morocco including the creation of permanent employment, taxation and various ancillary benefits.

As a UK-Moroccan partnership, Emmerson is committed to bringing in significant international investment over the life of the mine.

The company notes that the feasibility study released in June 2020 indicated the project has the potential to be among the lowest capital cost development stage potash projects in the world and, owing to its location, one of the highest-margin projects.