Zu Western Potash im mittleren Abschnitt: "Patricio Varas, the CEO of Western Potash (TSX: T.WPX, Stock Forum), agrees. “There is no doubt that Saskatchewan is the Saudi Arabia of potash,” he says. This helps explain why his small company is being courted by China and India, which have an eye on its Milestone project, just outside of Regina. Both emerging superpowers are particularly anxious to lock-in long-term potash supplies by partnering-up with any of the several smaller players in the Pink Gold Rush — ones that cannot afford to go forward alone, like Western Potash. This Vancouver-based company's emerging story is being followed by Ben Isaacson, a Toronto-based mining analyst for Scotia Bank. “Given the recent re-emergence of ‘the potash independence theme' by several emerging economies —Brazil, China, and India—we would not be surprised to see a SOE (state-owned enterprise) take a run at Western Potash in the near-term,” Isaacson said in an investment newsletter to clients late last year. Varas declined to comment on any pending deals and the investment industry's speculation. But he is keen to emphasize his company’s pragmatic business strategy. “Western Potash’s ultimate aim is to help solve food security issues in Asia by guaranteeing a secure, long-term supply of potash,” he says. The upstart company’s proposed solution mine in Milestone has the potential to produce at least 2.8 million tonnes of potash per year for at least 40 years. Solution mining involves pumping water into the mineral deposits and dissolving them for extraction. It is less costly, more environmentally-friendly, and faster to commercialize than conventional mining. In fact, Western Potash made headlines earlier this month by announcing its intention to pay the city of Regina to redirect much of its treated sewage water to its mine site. Currently, this effluent is deposited into the Wascana River." http://www.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2012/Jun/27/...ttracts-the-world |