Emmerson PLC (AIM:EML, OTC:EMSNF), the Morocco-focused potash group, said environmental approval for the Khemisset project had moved closer with the focus now on water management.
Graham Clarke, chief executive, added: “A number of important issues that had held up progress have been resolved, and discussions have moved onto the specifics of the project's water management, which is a key area of concern in Morocco following low rainfall in recent years.
“Our proposals (including specific revisions) are robust and I am cautiously optimistic they will be accepted, but the timing of approvals is in the hands of the Moroccan authorities.”
One of the revisions is for a dry tailings system at Khemisset to reduce water consumption and eliminate any risk of saline fluid outflow in the event of an extreme rainfall event.
Such tailings storage facilities are in use at various potash operations around the world, Emmerson said in its statement.
Clarke added that work in other areas had continued to progress with several technical workstreams now nearing completion, while MOUs had been signed for around two-thirds of expected potash production on a take-or-pay basis.
Talks with financiers are also ongoing, Clarke added, while the group raised US$6.1mln in September to fund pre-construction work.
"I am confident we will be able to provide some substantive updates over the course of Q1, and that 2023 will be a transformative year for Emmerson," Clarke concluded.