Kicks Off Western Australian SOP Trial
Perth, Mar 21, 2019 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Australian Potash Ltd (
ASX:APC) announces the Company kicks off Western Australian SOP trial.
An Australian first, two-year controlled environmental study and broadacre field trials, will commence in this growing season, analysing the benefits of WA produced sulphate of potash fertiliser.
The Australian Potash Limited, Sulphate of Potash for WA Farmers (SOPWA) project will compare commonly used muriate of potash (MOP) with sulphate of potash (SOP) and investigate the full effects of both potassium sources on crop yield, quality, safety and value. Another first is the research collaboration between the Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association (WANTFA), The University of Western Australia's Institute of Agriculture, and Australian Potash (ASX:APC), for the research programs.
These trials will also investigate crop response to SOP and soil biology in comparison to MOP. Such comparative studies have not been done in the past. WANTFA has selected paddock trial sites in Bolgart, Grass Patch, Kojonup, Southern Cross and Yuna. Each site will receive four to six treatments of SOP and MOP, with differences to crops and soil recorded over two seasons.
UWA will add scientific rigour by studying the yield and quality of key grain crops applied with SOP and MOP on soils collected from the paddocks.
At the same time as the scientific studies are happening, APC will release its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) of its Lake Wells Sulphate of Potash Project.
APC plans to initially produce 150,000t per annum of premium SOP commencing 2020 for the local and overseas markets. The next stage is expected to commence in 2026 providing an additional 150,000t per annum.
"The co-operative relationship APC has developed with WANTFA is paramount to our strategy to distribute Lake Wells SOP through the WA ag sector," APC Managing Director and CEO Matt Shackleton said.
"As one of the state's most highly influential, broadacre grower groups, their technical agronomic leadership skills lend immense authority to the work APC is part of. In conjunction with UWA's Institute of Agriculture, arguably one of the world's leading agricultural research institutions, APC is proud to be part of what will be a game-changing shift for WA and Australian agriculture."
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About Australian Potash Ltd
Australian Potash Limited (ASX:APC) is an ASX-listed Sulphate of Potash (SOP) developer. The Company holds a 100% interest in the Lake Wells Potash Project located approximately 500kms northeast of Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields.
Following the release of a Scoping Study in 2017, APC has been conducting a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) into the development of the Lake Wells Potash Project. The Company is aiming to release the findings of the DFS in H2 2019.
The Lake Wells Potash Project is a palaeochannel brine hosted sulphate of potash project. Palaeochannel bore fields supply large volumes of brine to many existing mining operations throughout Western Australia, and this technique is a well understood and proven method for extracting brine. APC will use this technically low-risk and commonly used brine extraction model to further develop a bore-field into the palaeochannel hosting the Lake Wells SOP resource.
A Scoping Study on the Lake Wells Potash Project was completed and released on 23 March 2017. The Scoping Study exceeded expectations and confirmed that the Project's economic and technical aspects are all exceptionally strong, and highlights APC's potential to become a significant long-life, low capital and high margin sulphate of potash (SOP) producer.
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