Agree in some respects. Closer to town but much much further...

Agree in some respects. Closer to town but much much further from port.

Strip ratio a huge issue. Companies prefer to dig and get the mineral out of the ground to start making money instead of digging thousands of tonnes of dirt just to get to the ore.

Major Project Status is not required. Helps and looks good but definitely not required. MPS helps streamline the approvals process and puts companies in contact with companies to fund the project thats about all (this is the statement on all governments websites). In regards to putting companies in contact I personally do not believe this is required as HIO was in contact with Mitsui and Posco well before receiving MPS not to mention 'Green Ore' should speak for itself.

I would argue the important points are management team, quality of the ore and ease of getting to the ore.