Val d’Or, Quebec-Hinterland Metals Inc. said June 18 that it has submitted an application for a 17,783 hectare special exploration license for salt and potash in the Malagawatch area of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The special license is underlain primarily by rocks belonging to the Windsor Group. PotashCorp is currently mining potash salts from the lower Winsor Group near Sussex, New Brunswick. Previous exploration has identified the Malagawatch and Orangedale salt deposits within the area of the special license. The Malagawatch deposit is the more important of the two for potash and was discovered in an oil well drilled by Chevron Standard Ltd. and Irving Oil Company Ltd. in 1978. Hinterland noted that special exploration licenses are granted in Nova Scotia according to ministerial discretion.
All posts by traceybg@gmail.com
Universal Uranium seeks potash in Newfoundland
Vancouver-Universal Uranium ltd. said June 23 that it has contracted North Rim Exploration Ltd., Saskatoon, to provide an assessment as to the potential of discovering potash on Universal’s newly acquired claims in the St. Georges Bay Basin of Western Newfoundland. Universal notes that North Rim has considerable experience with companies with existing potash mines. North Rim will begin its study of St. George’s immediately and will have it completed by late July. “The company feels the project has significant potential and looks forward to working with a company with extensive expertise and success in the potash industry,” said Universal President and CEO Ron Atlas.
Yara links up with bioenergy provider Ensus
Oslo-Yara International ASA has invested EUR 30 million in a new world-scale liquid carbon dioxide facility and entered into a long-term partnership with Ensus Group. Following the agreement, CO2 raw gas produced at the Ensus wheat refining plant, which is the largest in Europe, will be supplied into the new Yara plant and upgraded to high purity liquid CO2 for the growing UK food and beverages industry. The new liquid CO2 facility, which will be constructed next to the Ensus wheat refinery at Teesside, will be operational in mid-2009 with an annual liquid capacity of 250,000 mt. This will enable Yara to continuously supply a growing number of customers in the UK with CO2 from the new plant, the existing plant in Billingham, and the Thames terminal. The terminal facility at Teesside also allows shipment of products to terminals in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Ensus aims to become a leading provider of bioethanol to the European transport fuels market. The UK-based company is building a highly energy efficient and integrated wheat refining plant that harnesses the starch in the plant to produce bioethanol, conserves the protein for animal feed, and supplies CO2 raw gas for upgrading to high purity products for the food and beverages industry. All the plant outputs are thereby dedicated to either the food or biofuel industry. Ensus aims to develop refinery processes that make significant contributions to greenhouse gas reduction and protection of major carbon sinks whilst ensuring energy security. Ensus expects to complete the construction of its refinery during the first half of 2009. The plant will produce enough bioethanol to meet about one third of the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, which requires all petrol sold in the UK to contain 2.5 percent biofuel, rising to 5 percent in 2010.
Trigon Uranium moves into potash business
Golden, Colo.-Trigon Uranium Corp. reports that it owns 38 percent of Canadian-based privately-owned International Potash Corp. (IPC), with an option to increase its stake to 50 percent by Sept. 21, 2008. Trigon trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol TEL. Trigon President and CEO Sidney Himmel holds the same titles with IPC. IPC is identified as the 100 percent owner of U.S. Potash Corp., which is prospecting permit applications for sub-surface potash rights in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. One of the four USPC projects, the Ochoa Project, is in the Delaware Basin in New Mexico, about 15 miles from the mines of Intrepid Potash Inc. and The Mosaic Co. Three other projects – Dove Creek, Sinbad Valley, and Pine Ridge – are in the Paradox Basin in Utah and Colorado. Robert Hite, IPC’s senior potash consultant, began his career with the U.S. Geological Survey in 1956. Since his retirement, he has consulted on projects in Argentina, Canada, China, Egypt, Laos, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, and Turkey.
Bonaparte looks for phosphate off Peru’s coast
West Perth, Australia-Bonaparte Diamond Mines NL said June 18 that it has submitted applications for mineral exploration licenses covering an area of approximately 770 km off the coast of Peru, where scientific studies have identified the presence of phosphate-enriched sediments at or near the ocean floor surface. “The available data is very encouraging, and we are excited at the prospect of developing the full potential of this area of marine phosphate off Peru to complement our existing projects in Namibia,” said Bonaparte Managing Director Mike Woodborne. Bonaparte is also looking for marine phosphate off the coast of Namibia. The Peruvian application area is in water depths of 100-300 m. “There is a new and very credible drive to develop mining of marine minerals in water depths of up to 2,000 m. Our projects lie within the reach of current marine dredging technologies and we have the relevant skills and experience to establish Bonaparte’s position at the front end of the marine mining industry,” added Woodborne.
Union Resources to acquire Sea Phosphates
Brisbane, Australia-Union Resources Ltd. said June 20 that it has acquired Namibian company Sea Phosphates (Namibia) Pty Ltd. (SPL). SPL holds two exclusive prospecting licenses (EPLs) issued by the Namibian government. The EPLs lie approximately 60 km offshore from the coast of Namibia between Walvis Bay and Luderitz, with a combined total area of 200,000 hectares. Union says the area has been subjected to significant exploration and evaluation since the 1970s. Companies involved in earlier exploration included Gencor, Foskor of South Africa, The Ocean Phosphates Consortium, and then finally SPL.
Uramet looks for phosphate at Australian sites
Subiaco, Australia-Uramet Minerals Ltd. reports that it is exploring for phosphate at several sites in Western Australia. The sites are in the Georgina Basin in the Northern Territory and Queensland. One major site, Thorntonia, is located adjacent to the Lady Annie deposit, which has been recently subject to a long-term offtake and supply agreement and proposed joint venture development between Legend International Holdings and India’s IFFCO. Other Uramet exploration sites, further south and near each other, are identified as Boat Hill, Toko, and Desert Syncline. Additional prospective sites are identified as Foss Hill, Library Ridge, White Hill, Mauritania, Toomba, and Horseshoe. For more details, see www.uramet.com.au.
Intrepid expects warehouse completion in 2009
Denver, Colo.-Intrepid Potash Inc. expects that a warehouse to replace one destroyed by a wind shear or tornado in 2006 at the East Carlsbad, N.M., site (GM May 1, 2006, p. 1) will be completed in 2009 at a cost of $26 million. As of March 31, 2008, Intrepid says it has received $21.1 million of insurance settlement payments. Additional insurance payments to reconstruct the warehousing facilities are still contingent upon review by the insurer.
Deer repellent fertilizer available in three states
Reno-Itronics Metallurgical Inc. reports that its Gold’n Gro Guardian Deer Repellant fertilizer is now available from the company in three states ?Çô Nevada, Utah, and Rhode Island. Registration is expected in Massachusetts in July and in New York in August or September, and is pending in Alabama, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Due to requests for smaller quantities of the product, Itronics has adjusted its sales introduction plan to provide a one-gallon spray kit for smaller users and for evaluation by larger potential users.
Universal Potash sought for Utah-based company
Moab-Utah Uranium Corp. said June 25 that it is taking action to change the name of the corporation to Universal Potash Corp. to more closely reflect the direction of the company moving forward. While still maintaining interests in several past-producing or highly-promising uranium projects in Utah and western Colorado, the company has been actively pursuing several potash opportunities. It has an agreement in place to purchase a total of 474,400 contiguous acres of prospective potash property in east central Alberta, on the Saskatchewan border. The company has received some of the permits derived from the applications, and anticipates receipt of the outstanding applications shortly. The company has also filed potash applications covering a total of 29,000 acres near Moab, Utah. Included in this is an exploration permit application covering a total of 3,880 acres (over 6 sections) of prospective ground northwest of Moab, and potash lease applications for a total of 7,360 acres (11-1/2 sections) of School Sections and a total of 17,760 acres (27-3/4 sections) of ground within the known potash leasing areas (KPLAs) within 3 miles of Intrepid Potash Inc.’s Cane Creek operations. All of the Utah ground applied for is within the Paradox Basin. The auction for these lease applications is anticipated to be held in mid-July. The company says the Paradox Basin, a massive salt anticline covering a large area of eastern Utah and western Colorado, contains as much as 2.0 billion tons of potash in reports from the U.S. Geological Society. Production to date has almost entirely come from the Cane Creek Mine complex operated by Intrepid, located 5 miles west of Moab, which has been in production since the mid-1960s. The property subject to the potash exploration permit applications is located immediately to the west of School Sections that have seen previous drilling for oil/gas. The company has applied for leases covering those School Sections as well. Historic drilling activity on the School Sections encountered significant intersections of both sylvite and carnallite, with sylvite values averaging near 20 percent, but ranging as high as 49 percent.