Emmerson plc reported on March 11 that a government committee in Morocco has upheld a referral of approval for its Khemisset potash project in the north of the country. The committee has invited Emmerson to update the project’s environmental impact assessment and resubmit it to the Commission Régionale Unifée d’Investissement (CRUI), the company said.
Khemisset’s environmental approval was referred to Morocco’s national Ministerial Committee in July 2023 (GM July 28, 2023) after the CRUI was unable to approve the application due to “concerns about the project’s impact on water resources” (GM Jan. 12, p. 28).
Emmerson said early last month that it had completed a scoping study on a new processing method for Khemisset, which aims to reduce the project’s environmental impact while enhancing economic returns (GM Feb. 2, p. 28). According to the company, the new approach eliminates the need for deep-well injection and reduces water consumption by approximately 50%.
Emmerson CEO Graham Clarke said the company is looking forward to re-engaging with the CRUI to facilitate the approval of the EIA for the project. Khemisset is targeting production of 800,000 mt/y of potash. Emmerson’s shares rose 9.8% to 2.75 UK pence following the news but were down to 2.32 UK pence as at 12:10 (GMT) on March 13.