Udon Potash mining status
Re: Udon Potash mining status
The Thai says "construction of the Department of Mining Research, Nonsung". I have no idea whether it's related to the potential potash mine in that area.........
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Re: Udon Potash mining status
here is the planned area for the mining operation.. It includes the "Sixth Cycle commemorative Park" which was formerly named after the Potash Company that evidently built it. The entire area (previously shown in a map/diagram by Parrot) has lain fallow for a couple of years where it used to be sugar cane field.. Its only used for grazing cattle these days... I'll have to drive out there and find the location of the picture.. Eventually the mine will be started.. Too much money laying underground for it not to happen... Current prices are around $220 a ton and Udon's reserves are assayed at being quite high in potash, about 23-25%.. https://www.google.co.th/maps/@17.28394 ... a=!3m1!1e3
Dave
Re: Udon Potash mining status
the Potash mine is fully licensed and permitted at this time (November 2022). I've promised myself I'd stop by the Asia Pacific Potash Company office in Nong Takai village near Non Soong for a long time. Today I stopped and chatted for nearly an hour with their public Liaison Khun Khatawut Kaewmaneechai. He spoke excellent English and provided a friend and I with an update briefing on the mining project..
- as noted all licenses and permits are complete.
- Asia Pacific Potash Company (APPC) is a subsidiary of Italian-Thai.
- APPC is currently seeking investment and funding to start the project.
- Potash is currently $875 a ton. Thailand imports nearly all of its potash needs, roughly 900,000 tons a year. The APPC mine project is projected to produce up to two million tons of high grade potash per year. Their contract with the government requires them to fully meet Thai domistic potash requirements before they can export.
- Once funding is available the project will build its administrative complex to manage the mine.
- During the initial year of constructio the nearby Nong Takai water lake will be allowed to fill during the rainy season to support "washing" of potash (1 part potash 2 parts salt).
- The mine will dig/bore two sloping tunnels down to approximately 300 meters depth where the sylvinite ore veins are located. One will be the personnel/equipment entrance and one will have a dedicated conveyor system to bring the potash bearing sylvinite ore to the surface. The mine will use a "room and pillar" method of mining where sylvinite is extracte with pillars left to support the cavern.
- Initial construction labor requirements are for about 1300 workers.
- when in full operation the mine will require about 1000 workers.
- When "washing" the sylvinite ore to separate the potash the salt residue will be held in containment areas for up to one year before being backfilled into the mine caverns. A German mining management company will provide supervision to German standards to ensure all environmental requirments are observed.
- The mine is projected to have about 21 years of good productivity and 4 years to close up the mine after the avaiblable potash is extracted.
NOTE: This is the Udon South Potah deposits. Again, about 300 meters in depth spread in a vein up to 3 meters thick fspanning south of Non Soong to Nong Kham Khwong just south of the Ring Road. Additional deposits are in the Udon North area which according to APPC has not been fully boreholed/assayed.
The mine area is immediately south of the new Udon Industrial Estate.
- as noted all licenses and permits are complete.
- Asia Pacific Potash Company (APPC) is a subsidiary of Italian-Thai.
- APPC is currently seeking investment and funding to start the project.
- Potash is currently $875 a ton. Thailand imports nearly all of its potash needs, roughly 900,000 tons a year. The APPC mine project is projected to produce up to two million tons of high grade potash per year. Their contract with the government requires them to fully meet Thai domistic potash requirements before they can export.
- Once funding is available the project will build its administrative complex to manage the mine.
- During the initial year of constructio the nearby Nong Takai water lake will be allowed to fill during the rainy season to support "washing" of potash (1 part potash 2 parts salt).
- The mine will dig/bore two sloping tunnels down to approximately 300 meters depth where the sylvinite ore veins are located. One will be the personnel/equipment entrance and one will have a dedicated conveyor system to bring the potash bearing sylvinite ore to the surface. The mine will use a "room and pillar" method of mining where sylvinite is extracte with pillars left to support the cavern.
- Initial construction labor requirements are for about 1300 workers.
- when in full operation the mine will require about 1000 workers.
- When "washing" the sylvinite ore to separate the potash the salt residue will be held in containment areas for up to one year before being backfilled into the mine caverns. A German mining management company will provide supervision to German standards to ensure all environmental requirments are observed.
- The mine is projected to have about 21 years of good productivity and 4 years to close up the mine after the avaiblable potash is extracted.
NOTE: This is the Udon South Potah deposits. Again, about 300 meters in depth spread in a vein up to 3 meters thick fspanning south of Non Soong to Nong Kham Khwong just south of the Ring Road. Additional deposits are in the Udon North area which according to APPC has not been fully boreholed/assayed.
The mine area is immediately south of the new Udon Industrial Estate.
Dave
Re: Udon Potash mining status
The APPC office is located here. The Public Liaison said he'd be pleased to have more visitors.. https://www.google.co.th/maps/@17.26861 ... 8192?hl=en
Dave
Re: Udon Potash mining status update 8 Dec
Drove by the Udon Potash mine office in Non Takai today. There is a large fenced off area with clearing and construction occurring just east of the railway tracks. Per the briefing the Public Liaison gave me last year this should be the mine's Administrative complex. It has started! When I spoke with the Industrial Park manager and mentioned the mine status he told me, yes, they'd started. When I remarked that a year ago the Public LIaison told me they were still looking for investors he laughed and said, no, they've got plenty now.. Gotta wonder if those investors are speaking Mandarin??
Dave
Re: Udon Potash mining status
Talking moolah, money, RMB
I had a bumper sticker in Texas that read 'Beam me up Scotty'. I often wish I could find one in Udon Thani
Re: Udon Potash mining status
The full assay done decades ago showed up to 21 years of Potash reserves. When the mines are operational they can provide all of Thailand's potassium based fertilizer needs. The license for the mine stipulates Thailand's needs must be fully met before any exports are shipped... Don't know if that will actually happen.. None the less, the mine should provide about 1000 direct jobs and hundreds of indirect.. Potash prices are fairly low right now, around $330 a ton. Last year they spiked at $1100 a ton...
Dave
Re: Udon Potash mining status
Is the US Army no longer coming to help develop potash mining?
It was the talk of the town in Steve's Bar (RIP) back in 2006!
It was the talk of the town in Steve's Bar (RIP) back in 2006!
Re: Udon Potash mining status
the permit holder has changed several times from a Canadian firm to a Thai firm and now the Asian Pacific Potash mining company which is majority owned by Italian Thai I think.
No, the US Army isn't likely to come and do mining work and never was..
If anything since China will probably be buying at least half the projected mine output of 2 million tons a year, it might a the Chinese Army???
No, the US Army isn't likely to come and do mining work and never was..
If anything since China will probably be buying at least half the projected mine output of 2 million tons a year, it might a the Chinese Army???
Dave
Re: Udon Potash mining status
The potash mining topic was all the rage back in Steve's Bar Udon back in the 2006 days.
Re: Udon Potash mining status
the original bore assays were done back in the 90's by a Canadian Company. When they moved forward with permitting/licensing a large protest movement formed in the villages around the mine site. It was mostly older women who called themselves the "Iron Ladies." They protested at the site and downtown and a number of Temple Abbots in the Wats around that area also became activist against it. Since then the several companies who picked up the license for it moved very very slowly and ensured their engineering studies and EIA's included all the correct salt remediation technology. This time around as the project is in motion, I don't see any unrest over it. I need to take a drive to the office site and chat with the site PR guy this next week. His English is very good and last year when a friend and I visited gave us a great briefing with maps and charts.
Dave
Re: Udon Potash mining status
Quite a few actually 