VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/21/16 -- Western Potash Corp. (TSX: WPX)(FRANKFURT: AHE) ("Western" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Milestone Potash Corp. (MPC) has received the final engineering report on the proposed Milestone Pilot Plant Project ("the Pilot Project"). The report was compiled by Amec Foster Wheeler who was responsible for all site surface facilities, Agapito Associates Inc. ("Agapito") who was responsible for mining, and Milestone Potash Corp. who was responsible for off-site utilities,permitting and engagement. The co-ordination of all project interfaces was managed by Amec Foster Wheeler.
As reported in an April 21, 2016 news release by the Company, the purpose of the report is to develop a full scope of engineering and procurement services as well as a Class 3 (+/-10%) Capital Cost Estimate and Operating Cost estimate in advance of Western's construction decision for the Pilot Project. Engineering deliverables include process flow diagrams, site plans, specifications, data sheets and detailed drawings, all of which have been developed to the point of allowing issuance of purchase orders for equipment and contracts.
The pilot plant was designed to have an annual production capacity of 146,000 tonnes of potash obtained through horizontal mining of the Prairie Evaporites. The solution mining plan is based on the concept of 'selective solution mining' where the solvent is near-saturated with sodium chloride and partially saturated with potassium chloride. Among the advantages of the selective solution mining method are a lower CAPEX and OPEX compared to conventional solution mining. In addition, the selective solution mining technique has a lower environmental impact, consumes less water than conventional solution mining and does not produce salt tailings. Results of the Pilot Project will be used to determine the feasibility of construction and operation of a larger scale selective solution mining operation.
The total cost (CAPEX) to design, construct and commission the Pilot Project as described in the report is $88.3 million as expressed in Q4 2016 Canadian Dollars ($CAD), which equals to a competitive unit Capital Intensity per tonne of $604. The $88.3 million CAPEX represents the costs associated with executing the project under an EPCM environment and satisfies American Association of Cost Engineering ('AACE') Class 3 requirements at an accuracy of +/- 10%. In the EPCM scenario, the Company would assume all risk (Owners Cost Risk) for cost increases beyond contingency allocation.
The OPEX estimate for the Pilot Project was developed by Amec Foster Wheeler in conjunction with the Company. The plant site OPEX is estimated to be $82.39 per tonne of product. This estimate does not include costs associated with product transportation and delivery from the site to the customer.
MPC is working towards optimizing the project execution plan and continuing to minimize potential risks associated with the Pilot Project. The Company management will proceed to make a sanction at an appropriate time based on the optimization of the project execution plan and the mitigation of the potential risks. Among potential risk are:
-- Lower than expected potash prices. This has the most significant effect
on project economics. Although ChinaBlue Chemical Ltd., one of Western's
major shareholders, has expressed its willingness to enter into
negotiations for a purchase agreement under certain terms for all the
Pilot Plant's products, MPC is continuing to explore other options for
product sales outside of the Chinese market.
-- Pilot Project water supply. Western has a previously negotiated an
agreement with the City of Regina to use treated effluent for a 2.8 mtpy
conventional solution mine. Although the Company maintains this
agreement, the Pilot Project requires substantially less water volumes
and construction of a pipeline to transport effluent to the site is not
cost effective. MPC therefore intends to secure groundwater from a local
deep well for the Pilot Project, which is below any potable or
agriculture ground sources,and will not affect domestic or agricultural
water safety
-- Agapito's numerical cavern model showed that brine concentrations could
be lower than anticipated in the later stages of cavern life. To
maintain potash recovery rates, additional wells were planned and
drilling costs updated in the sustaining CAPEX. However, actual
hydrodynamic conditions in the caverns may be underestimated in the
model. Currently, further experimental investigations of the mechanisms
of dissolution by NaCl-saturated solvents are being undertaken by
Agapito in an attempt to simulate actual mining conditions.
-- Road restrictions reduce the ability to ship product off-site (such as
spring road bans) resulting in the process plant being shut down for a
portion of the year. MPC is developing contingency plans to minimize the
risk associated with restricted product shipping due to road conditions.
This includes on-site storage and conducting an annual plant maintenance
shutdown during spring road bans.
Geoffrey Chang, Chairman of the Company stated, "we are pleased to have completed all the engineering, which shows the technological and economic feasibility of applying innovative horizontal drilling methodology, selective solution mining and crystallization pond techniques. We are very excited about the prospect of bringing this revolutionary new solution mining technology to Saskatchewan."
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Geoffrey Chang, Chairman
Qualified Persons
The content of this news release has been read and approved by Gregory F. Vogelsang, P.Eng., P. Geo., Project Manager of the Company. Mr. Vogelsang is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.
Readers are cautioned that the projected mining method, potential production profile and plan and mine plan referred to in the Pilot Study and this release are conceptual in nature. There is no certainty that a potential mine will be realized or that a production decision will be made.
Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the filing and results of the Technical Report. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information that is set out herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Contacts:
Angela Aydon
Corporate Communications Manager
604-689-9378
