PhosCo’s phosphate project in Tunisia a strategic asset
Share Article
PhosCo’s phosphate project in Tunisia a strategic asset
ASX listed PhosCo’s Gasaat project close to Tunis in Tunisa is a strategic asset.
By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and Endorphin Expeditions and editor of the WhyAfrica magazine.
WhyAfrica has been tracking progress at several new phosphate projects across Africa over the last 10 months.
ASX listed PhosCo’s Gasaat project in Tunisa piqued my interest due to its proximity to markets and steady progress towards delivering a Bankable Feasibility Study.
Drilling scheduled to start next week
According to Taz Aldaoud, PhosCo Managing Director, earthworks at Gasaat are well advanced with main access roads and first drill pads complete.
“Drill rig and crew have been mobilised, with arrival on site imminent and drilling is scheduled to start next week,” says Aldaoud.
Phosphate a critical mineral
Phosphate is regarded as a critical mineral in (amongst others) the USA, the EU, India, China and Brazil for its use in agriculture and food security.
Other countries with significant agricultural sectors like South Africa and Argentina also consider phosphate critical to maintain food security.
South Africa is a significant world producer of phosphate, contributing about one percent of global production.
EU relies on phosphate imports
The EU relies heavily on imports of phosphate rock for fertilizer production. Concerns about security of supply and the often-adverse environmental impacts of phosphate extraction have resulted in the EU looking for alternative producers.
Therefore, North African counties like Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia are strategically located to serve this growing market.
Pit to port
Tunisia’s La Goulette or Port of Tunis, handles most of the country’s imports and exports including containers, general cargo and bulk materials.
The Port of Marseille in France is about 650km from La Goulette across the Mediterranean Sea and it takes about 12 to 18 hours for a cargo ship to get there, depending on the type of vessel, weather conditions and sea currents.
Gasaat is 210km south-west of Tunis by road and just 35km from the nearest railhead which connects to the Port of Goulette for export.
The bulk of Gasaat’s phosphate is located at the base of a massive limestone unit close to the top of a high segmented plateau, which is divided into distinct domains or prospects by a series of normal faults.
To read more about the exploration project we cover at WhyAfrica, visit the WhyAfrica website, your one-stop-shop for on the ground information and business intelligence about Africa.
#whyafricaroadtrips #whyafrica #africa #investinafrica #phosphate #Tunisia
PhosCo’s phosphate project in Tunisia a strategic asset
