Progress on Phosphate Project

The Chatham Rise rock phosphate project associated with Widespread Portfolios and Widespread Energy is making rapid progress in evaluating the viability of its undersea reserves

The Widespread Energy Ltd and Widespread Portfolios Ltd joint venture has established a team of key technical, environmental, financial and other experts to bring together and evaluate existing data, says director Chris Castle in an update released to the market.

‘These include people who investigated the potential of the resource in the 1980s and have a wealth of knowledge. The technical advisers and Widespread directors have recently met in Wellington for a two day workshop to share knowledge, identify information gaps and plan the next steps in the years one  and two work programmes for the project.’ 

Key steps include:  

- The data gathered in the exploration voyages of RV Valdivia and RV Sonne in the late 1970s and early 1980s has now been digitised and that data is now being analysed.  

- A dialogue has also recently been initiated with representatives of the German organisations that played a central role in the exploration role in the early 1980s.  

- Further work is also being undertaken with several undersea mining organisations to evaluate the optimal approach to extraction of the joint venture's seabed rock phosphate resource.  

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