Business

Botash partners Canadian firm in potash project

Botash operates a brine recovery operation for Sodium Carbonate (soda ash) and Sodium Chloride (table salt) on the pan, a facility that started operation in 1991.  Significant concentrations of potash (Potassium Chloride (KCl) and Potassium Sulphate (K2SO4)) have been recorded in the brines of Sua Pan, but have never been recovered commercially.

Great Quest will begin a programme to evaluate the economic potential of potash recovery from the native brines, the Botash mine effluent and the historical mine tailings. According to the Canadian firm, the memorandum of understanding signed with Botswana Ash in December 2013 grants Great Quest one-year exclusivity with an option to extend for another year, provided the company has incurred a minimum of US$100,000 (P860,000) in expenditure to explore and develop the potash potential of the Sua Pan.

“As Great Quest learns more about the nature of potash in the Sua Pan salar, it intends to enter into a definitive long term agreement with Botash, outlining compensation for infrastructure and potassium-bearing material with the economic benefit from possible potash products belonging to Great Quest,” said the company. Last year officials at Botswana Ash expressed worry at the high cost of transporting their products to markets in the southern African region, particularly South Africa. The company’s managing director, Montwedi Mphathi, told Mmegi Business that the huge costs of transporting their products, mostly soda ash from Botswana to markets within the SADC region, made them less competitive when compared to other firms in the same business from countries such as the United States of America (USA). He explained that US companies have it cheaper because they transport huge tonnes of soda ash. The Sua Pan salar is the largest and lowest of three saltpans in the Makgadikgadi Pans region of northeastern Botswana.  It is considered one of the largest salt flats in the world and has a surface area of approximately 4,900 square kilometres at an elevation of 890m above sea level. Botswana Ash began operating in 1991 and produces 300,000 tonnes of soda ash and 650,000 tonnes of salt per year.

The products are sold in Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Most of the soda ash goes to South Africa where it is used in various industries such as the glass sector.

India also buys excess soda ash from Botswana Ash. Botash is an equally owned joint venture between the Botswana government and managing partner Chlor Alkali Holdings (CAH) Group of South Africa.  Great Quest is a mineral exploration company focused on the development of African agricultural mineral projects for local production of farm-ready fertilisers.

The company’s flagship asset is the Tilemsi Phosphate Project in northeastern Mali.