Sirius confirms plans to submit application in September

SIRIUS Minerals, the company behind plans for a huge potash mine near Whitby, will submit its application for its mine at the end of September.

This will align with the submission of the application for the mineral transport system (MTS) which Sirius Minerals said is to replace a previously proposed pipeline for transporting polyhalite between the mine and the coast with an underground conveyor system. The MTS would significantly increase project value, reduce the construction footprint and environmental impact of the project and deliver a more efficient and sustainable operation, Sirius says.

Sirius said there are a number of planning and environmental advantages for taking this approach and believes that the move provides for a more robust determination process for the two main applications for the York Potash Project.

Chris Fraser, managing director and CEO of Sirius, said: “We have had productive and wide ranging pre-application engagement with the authority officers and advisers over the past nine to 12 months and aligning the submissions should make the process more straightforward and therefore is beneficial to all parties.

“We believe this is the most productive way forward, particularly as this doesn’t impact the overall project schedule.  In the meantime, the common ground we have currently reached with the authority officers provides very clear guidance as to detail that the applications need to include at the point of submission.”