I think the backside dropped out of the metric ton price by a considerable amount few years ago.
A check of the 5 or 10 year market might explain.
Until a good recovery cost and more importantly contracted sales made then a new project may just sit on the back burner.
There are plenty of existing operating mines at the present that are supplying world needs and they can most likely absorb the low price. The last thing existing mines and processing facilities would want is another new operation coming on to the market, especially the Canadians.



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Yes... Nutrien the Canadian giant just bought Australia RURALCO...

Here's the link to the Udon Thani industrial estate website: https://www.udonindustrialcity.com/

Parrot is correct that the original industrial estate was built back around 98-99. the two lane bridge over the railway and a 700 meter road with lots of clearing of jungle.. It flopped and the "industrial estate" lands were slowly taken over by houses and shacks.. About a year ago when the government was ramping up the project I drove through and saw most of the squatter houses, some of which were quite nice, being demolished and "for rent" and "for sale" signs on my others.. The government is offering some very good terms and seems to be pushing in the right direction to entice factories into the zone.. However, a key to the project will be transportation and the State Railway of Thailand has yet to dual track from Bangkok to Udon and has NOT done any significant development in the railway siding in Nong Takai about 3 km from the industrial estate area. That of course begs the question as to why they just wouldn't put a railway spur directly into the estate...

I agree that the Udon Potash deposits might be left fallow for a few more years.. That transportation nexus is not developed yet plus there are considerable deposits in Chaiyaphum northwest of Khorat currently under exploitation. http://www.apot.co.th/projects.php?id=65&cate=proj

Chaiyaphyum's potash mines, at least many years ago were "poster childs" for how not to do it. Massive spills of potash waste (primarily salt) created a moonscape around the mining area at the time.. Perhaps this new development will do things in a more responsible manner...

Original assays of Udon stated the sylvinite deposits were roughly 23-24% Potassium which is pretty high. Estimates are it would provide at least 25 years of potassium for fertilizer production in Thailand. They are 300-500 meters deep and span east of Udon southwards to the Nong Takai area. They would require vertical shafts and a cavern/column technique.. The problem is that "washing" the sylvinite to extract the potassium requires huge amounts of water. Nong Takai is on a watershed break that feeds water southwards to the "Red Lotus Sea" and northwards in creeks and rivers to the Mekong.. Pollution of these water sources would devastate crop production.. Plus, the detritus left after extracting potassium, if not properly contained can result in massive dust pollution particularly during the dry season.. Plans are to put the detritus left from potassium production back into the mine spaces..

FrazeeDK wrote: ↑

March 3, 2019, 10:53 am

That of course begs the question as to why they just wouldn't put a railway spur directly into the estate...

Too many bennies and a lifelong employer make for little incentive to improve. SRT has a pretty poor track record......nearly 70 years of losses. Meanwhile, Thai Air attributes their losses to high fuel costs.....but that doesn't seem to affect the other airlines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Rai ... erformance
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com ... ys-losses/
Over the years, we've know people who work for both organizations. Lifelong employment, lots of bennies, little incentive to improve.

and that applies to pretty much all the State Owned Enterprises (SOE's).

Interesting info out of Laos:
Sino-Agri International Potash Co., Ltd
Autgust 2,n86 20o2c31 ·
THROUGH THE ACQUISITIONS, ASIA-POTASH INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT (GUANGZHOU) CO LTD (000893.SZ) WILL BECOME THE LARGEST MONOMERIC #POTASH RESOURCES COMPANY IN ASIA.
On the evening of July 30, Asia-Potash International announced that to purchase 56% of equity interest in NongJia Resources with the assets of a potash mine has not yet been put into operation during the reporting period which located in Nongbok Village, Khammuon Province of #Laos amounted to RMB 1.764 billion. The listed company intends to pay the transaction of RMB 1.684 billion by way of issuing shares and RMB 80 million in cash.
Through this transaction, Asia-Potash International will acquire the ownership of high quality potash resources in Laos, which will increase the amount of pure potassium chloride (KCl) reserves to over 800 million tons.
Asia-Potash International invested a total of RMB 400 million in cash from its own funds to further increase the registered capital of its wholly-owned subsidiary Sino-Agri International Potash Co., Ltd. for the 1 million tons/year potash #fertilizers transformation and expansion project, subsequently the company will construct the additional 2 million tons/year potash project respectively.
Potassium is one of the three essential nutrients for plant growth and development and has an irreplaceable role in accelerating metabolism, promoting photosynthesis and enhancing resistance, as well as being one of the minerals necessary for human and animal growth.
And
The first cargo train of the China-Laos Railway bound for China began on December 3rd, 2021, with a cargo of potash products manufactured by a China-Lao joint venture named Sino-Agri International Potash Company.

More info:
http://www.asia-potash.com/en/about/about.aspx
The company has active layout for a long-term development and carrys out diversified strategies, its subordinate SINO-AGRI International Potash Co., Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “SINO-KCL”) has the right to exploit 35 km2 area of potash salt deposits in Khammuane Province, Lao PDR. The area has a proven K-Mg ore mf reserve of 1,002,000,000 tons, equivalent to 152,000,000 tons of pure potassium chloride resources. The previous 100,000 t/a potash fertilizer verification project completed by SINO-KCL has made a significant breakthrough in the world's K-Mg salt deposit (carnallite) exploitation field. SINO-KCL is also the first enterprise that has achieved industrial mass production and economic benefits in newly-born potash salt regions worldwide and keeps its leadership in the industry. Up to now SINO-KCL has already launched the construction of a 500,000 t/a potash fertilizer expansion project and is striving for the development goal of 1,000,000 t/a steadily.

Asia Pacific Potash still has their small office out in Nong Takai village not far from their large claim...https://www.google.co.th/maps/@17.26854 ... 8192?hl=en I'd throw out a prediction and that is that whatever parent company owns Aisa Pacific Potash Corporation will sell their ownership rights to some large Chinese mining company in the next fw years. Getting that "high speed" standard gauge rail to Udon with a large rail siding to load Potash ore would be only logical... Here's Asia Pacific's website.. Not a lot of activity at all with their last press release being 7 years ago... http://www.appc.co.th/en/index.html Googling a bit more shows the Aisa Pacific Potash company to be owned by Italian Thai...

oh, on that Potash development project up in Laos. Wanna bet that the concession was granted to offset interest payments on the loans Lao took?? Next will be the giant bauxite (source of aluminum) deposits down in the lower panhandle of Laos. They were assayed by Aussie companies back around 2006 and shortly thereafter the Lao government put an indefinite hold on development.. The deposits extend over into Vietnam which have been mined for a number of years..

If its owned by Italian Thai, it's not surprising theres not much action ........ can't track potash. trap it, shoot it and hang it on the wall

ah, but they've got the mining rights, an approved EIA and can afford to sit on their prospective cash cow indefinitely. Or until some huge Chinese mining company offers them a huge amount of money for it.. or a joint venture buy-in... Wait till those standard gauge tracks reach Udon, it'll be sooner rather than later... Then we'll see movement on the mining.. By then the Udon Industrial Estate, adjacent to the mining claim will be in full swing too.

The effort to mine potash in the Udon area has been ongoing for nearly 40 years. Maybe the stars are beginning to align with the war in Ukraine and the high price of fertilizer.
https://www.prachachat.net/economy/news-925714

The Cabinet has given the green light for potash mining in Udon Thani province to solve the problem of expensive fertilizer. Suriya is expected to open up to 2 million tons of the first lot of mines per year in 6 months - 1 year.

by the way, the Nong Takai lake was dredge out years ago by APPC but never kept up properly. It has never been filled which would be necessary to process the ore.

drove out to visit the sister-in-law south of Udon. Drove by the Asia Pacific Potash company office headquarters in Ban Nong Takai. Noted five brand new white Toyota 4 door pickups with Bangkok plates. Survey team arriving??? Usually there are one or two vehicles sitting in front of the place... The sign does say "information center". Maybe the next time I drive by I'll stop and ask what's up... https://www.google.co.th/maps/@17.26861 ... 8192?hl=th

latest update on the Potash mine. Seems Italian Thai Development has Asia Pacific Potash as their front company. IT owns 90% of the mine concession. https://www.thaienquirer.com/45208/shar ... don-thani/

The maximum level of subsidence projected for the Udon South mine over the mine life will be less than 70 cm.
Where is the water coming from?
Thailand’s Minerals Act, which allows mining below 100 m depth without the property owner’s consent.