Mining Intelligence and News
Morocco

Khemisset Project

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StagePermitting
Commodities
  • Potash
Mining Method
  • Room-and-pillar
  • Continuous
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotKhemisset project incorporates an innovative, patent-pending processing method - Khemisset Multimineral Process ("KMP"), which allows mixed potash ore types to be processed in a highly efficient manner, creating multi-nutrient fertilisers as by-products.

During 2023 and 2024, Emmerson's key priority has remained securing the approval of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (“ESIA”) for Khemisset Project.

In October 2024, Emmerson announced that the Unified Regional Investment Commission (CRUI) rejected its ESIA. This rejection followed a denial in 2023, citing concerns about high water consumption during a prolonged drought in Morocco. Despite Emmerson's efforts to reduce water consumption by 50% in its revised ESIA, authorities were not convinced.

The company announced on December 6, 2024, its intention to file a case with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) following a setback related to the environmental assessment.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Emmerson Plc 100 % Indirect
Khemisset is 100% owned by Emmerson Plc.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Sandstone hosted
  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The Khemisset Basin is a sedimentary basin of Triassic age, initiated by the opening of the mid-Atlantic ridge. The sedimentary sequence of the basin is characterised by early continental red bed deposits including iron-rich sandstones. Continued subsidence and extensional faulting in the late Triassic and early Jurassic resulted in the deposition of clay and extensive evaporite sequences, characteristic of a closed marine basin and thought to exceed 1,000m in thickness in some areas. The evaporitic sequence is primarily comprised of halite, gypsum and locally, sylvite and carnallite.

The Khemisset basin was characterised by a continental slope leading into a shallow marine environment with the deposition of carbonate banks and the formation of a carbonate platform with associated dolostone and dolomitic limestone deposits. Around this time Western Morocco also experienced the deposition of extrusive basalts. Subsidence in the Moroccan continental margin continued into the Middle Cretaceous, until a period of uplift in the Late Cretaceous leading to salt diapirism; the intrusion of salt into surrounding host rock to form domes. As the rate of subsidence slowed, the basin became erosive leading to the deposition of a thick Tertiary sedimentary sequence of marls and conglomerates.

The evaporite sequence is equivalent to the Lower Salt Formation observed within the Khemisset basin and represents a regional target for potash exploration.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnitsAvg. Annual
Potash MOP Mt 0.8
NaCl De-icing salt kt 1,000
Ammonium chloride Fertilizer kt 401
Struvite Fertilizer kt 748
Vivianite Fertilizer kt 134

Operational metrics

Metrics
Annual ore mining rate  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2024 study.

Production Costs

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs Potash USD  ....  Subscribe
Cash costs Potash USD  ....  Subscribe
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Potash USD  ....  Subscribe
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) Potash USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Ammonium chloride USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Vivianite USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Struvite USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price NaCl USD  ....  Subscribe
Assumed price Potash USD  ....  Subscribe
* According to 2024 study / presentation.
** Net of By-Product.

Project Costs

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscribe
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscribe
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscribe

Required Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 21, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 21, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 21, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 21, 2025

EmployeesTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020

Aerial view:

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