https://www.miningweekly.com

SOP production pushed at Fort Cady

4th February 2021

By: Esmarie Iannucci

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

     

Font size: - +

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – An updated enhanced definitive feasibility study (eDFS) on the Fort Cady borate mine, in Southern California, has been undertaken in an effort to bring forward planned sulphate of potash (SoP) development.

The updated eDFS built on the eDFS completed in April of last year, which, in turn, built on an earlier DFS that broke the project into three phases.

The starter project would target a production rate of 40 000 t/y SoP and 9 000 t/y of boric acid, increasing to 90 000 t/y SoP and 80 000 t/y boric acid during Phase 1B.

The Phase 2 project would ultimately increase production to 109 000 t/y of SoP and 408 000 t/y of boric acid, while the Phase 3 development would push production to 400 000 t/y of SoP and 450 000 t/y of boric acid.

ASX-listed American Pacific Borate (ABR) on Thursday said that the updated eDFS was targeted at bringing forward some 40 000 t of SoP production to the 2023 calendar year, and found that it would reduce the Phase 1B capital cost from $156-million to $34.2-million, while increasing the targeted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for 2023 from $20.2-million to $45.9-million.

While decreasing the expected Phase 1B capital cost by $121.8-million, the project’s total capital cost has increased by $104.7-million, to $842.6-milllion in the updated eDFS, while the project’s net present value has increased by $50-million, to $2.02-billion, and its internal rate of return by 1.2%, to 40.6%.

ABR told shareholders on Thursday that the initial production of boric acid from the Fort Cady project remained on track for the third quarter of 2021, with SoP production to follow shortly thereafter.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

The functionality you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION