A massive ESG concern for MOP potash mining is the salt heaps....

A massive ESG concern for MOP potash mining is the salt heaps. They destroy the landscape of the countryside and the underground voids cause surface subsidence (ground sinking). I believe between this, and carbon emissions during mining/emissions from power supply, to be the major concerns for new up and coming Potash mines.

Luckily, SHP is an ESG friendly prospect for a new potash mine project for a number of reasons:

1) SHP deposits are adjacent to the massive voids in underground workings 350M away from over a century worth of underground potash mining. Therefore the tailings/potential salt heap waste in normal Potash projects, is with SHP to be backfilled into these massive underground voids, which halts the subsidence from occurring AND no salt waste dumps to occur above ground. Big tick.

2) Meanwhile they are to perform strong conservative room and pillar mining methods, with backfilling of tailings in there own deposits, so subsidence doesn't occur in their own mine workings AND fixes the adjacent mining voids. Of course this means lower recovery rates, but for the sake of the environment and approval, this makes most sense.

3) Logistics emissions: ridiculously low when compared to other sources of potash (shipped from Canada/rail from China/Russia): "Salt doesn't travel" not only is it meticulous, its also extremely emission heavy.

4) K+S have recently started trialing for a 1/3 of their underground vehicle fleet, with electric powered machinery which is to lower emissions drastically. I can imagine this being a managerial headache for a potash project already up and running, although for a new project on the horizon, this is quite a simple alternative to ensure traditional mining emissions are heavily reduced. Ordering a full fleet of electronic machinery, already tested by a market leader in the region K+S only a couple hundred km away.

5) Approximately 50% of power to be from renewables, with more focus on future sources of ESG friendly power supply. (As per presentation). This further decreases overall production emissions via a renewable power source, great for the environment, further helping optics for approvals.

For these reasons, I think SHP are in the right place for European project approvals in this ESG climate. It also helps that Potash has the end customer in the thematic of Food Security. Its alot stronger of a cause to argue in balancing emissions and health - access to fruit and veg production for your population.

Sounds more ESG than the current German coal mines that have been engulfing nearby towns in mine expansions... I think SHP will comparatively work through approvals due to the above reasons and potash ESG connotations surrounding ESG.

As always DYOR, not financial advice, and largely predicting what will occur. Its what this game is all about