Page 40 - pd309-Oct22-mag-web-Neat

ADU ReVIeW

Minbos feeds new growth market

inbos Resources Ltd chief executive power, but Angola is not connected to the
MLindsay Reed has boldly declared that network so there’s not the demand for the
Angola has the best “green” nitrogen project power so they can take their own resource,
opportunity in the world. turn it into fertilisers for their own farms and
Speaking at Africa Down Under, Reed for their own food.”
told delegates that 1,000MW of underuti- Minbos is expected to have plenty of nitro-
lised hydro power in the country provided the gen at its disposal once it starts producing
perfect platform to build a nitrogen fertiliser a suite of phosphate fertiliser products from
plant. its longstanding Cabinda project in Angola.
“It’ll be a zero carbon opportunity and the The company has already pushed the
reasons for doing it are simple,” Reed ex- button on construction works at Cabinda de-
plained. Lindsay Reed spite still being in the throes of updating its
“Gas is getting more expensive – 85% of out in Africa, citing a similar incarnation by DFS for the project, in conjunction with the
the world’s nitrogen is made from gas – and Sabre Chemicals at the Kariba Dam in Zim- International Fertiliser Development Centre
hydro power never really competed with gas babwe during the early 1970s. (IDFC).
when gas was cheap. But in Europe, we’ve “This was the ‘green’ revolution in Zimba- “It looked very robust on the numbers
seen it’s gone from $1 to $100. At $1, we bwe, and Zimbabwe became the breadbas- that we already had and we knew that the
couldn’t compete. At $4, we can compete. At ket of Africa,” he said. flowsheet could be readily adaptable to all of
$100, it’s not even a question. “It all happened around the development the permutations that could be thrown up at
“Angola has the best green nitrogen pro- of this plant and, all of a sudden, Zimbabwe us,” Reed said.
ject opportunity in the whole world.” had nitrogen. And if you look at the yields in “All of the major equipment for the
Minbos has secured a concession for its crops in 1970 versus the yields in its crops flowsheet is fabricated and ready to be
200MW of those hydropower reserves in 1974, some of the yields went up 10 times shipped and we should finish our DFS be-
which will enable the company to produce for having this nitrogen. Angola has exactly fore we finish building.”
about 300,000-400,000t of ammonia. the same opportunity in front of it.
Reed was quick to point out this was not “The opportunity is gone from Zimbabwe – Michael Washbourne
the first time such a process had been rolled
now because there’s more demand for the

Stay ahead of change...

Unlock the power
of your supply chain

Producing all the magnet
REOs to drive a net zero
carbon future

Contact: Steven McLoughlin
steven@afrilog.com www.afrilog.com
www.ionicre.com.au ASX: IXR @IONIC_RE

Page 40 OCTOBeR 2022 aUSTRaLIa’S PaYDIRT