Potash firm’s plans to build workers village and park and ride
by Rhys Howell
20th February 2015

York Potash has submitted a planning application to the borough council to build temporary accommodation and a park and ride facility in Whitby.


The development, which would consist of one and two storey buildings capable of sleeping 416 people and enough parking spaces for 527 cars, would be used to accommodate in-migrant workers for the proposed potash mine at Dove’s Nest Farm, Sneatonthorpe.

If approved, the facility will be built on Stainsacre Lane and it is estimated that it will be used for a period of approximately four years.

A spokesman for York Potash said: “The temporary construction village has always been a fall-back position and ultimately it may not be needed.

“It will depend on the ability of local accommodation to meet the project’s needs and, importantly, in a way that supports the local tourism industry.”

The company revealed that the park and ride facility is needed to properly coordinate and manage worker traffic to the mine site as they feel that there is insufficient capacity at the existing park and ride in the town.

Once construction has been completed, York Potash’s agreement with owner of the land that the development will be built on is that the site would be returned to its current state – agricultural fields.

Despite this, a number of local residents and business owners have expressed their concerns at the plans.

An online petition has already been set up in opposition to the facility being built at the proposed location and objections to the planning application have been lodged with the borough council.

Laurie Farmer fears that the development will affect her long-established family-run holiday cottage business on Stainsacre Lane which employs three part-time members of staff.

She said: “To me this application takes no regard of the needs of the local community for jobs and the majority of the money from the development during construction will thus not come to the local area.

“Also, the construction of a workers village removes any upside for the local guest houses and B&Bs which may have expected a bonus from the York Potash development during construction.”

Ms Farmer also criticised the plans for ignoring the current development activity at Whitby Business Park, a location which she feels is “much better suited to this type of activity than a new green-field site.”

Mike Shardlow, owner of Beacon Farm and chairman of Sneaton Parish Council feels that the hostility to the proposed development is unneccessary.

“It is too easy to be critical and I think that people have to be realistic,” he said.

“Not all of the specialist personnel needed to undertake the work that will have to be done can be found locally.

“Also, I don’t think it is practical to expect local B & Bs to accommodate all these workers.

“I very much doubt that every guesthouse owner in Whitby wants to be full of workers in muddy boots and dirty overalls.”

Responding to the concerns raised, York Potash said that their preference is for any incoming construction workers to use local accommodation.

A spokesman added: “If this is not available then the company has to have the option to house key workers elsewhere in the local area.

“Similarly, it is also important that existing tourism accommodation isn’t blocked for long periods of time.

“For the shaft sinking work there are only a handful of companies in the world with the experience and ability to deliver the work, so it is likely that they will be bringing a team of specialist personnel to the area.”

York Potash revealed that the reason it is not seeking to build on Whitby’s industrial estate is because “it would be going against attempts by local councils to increase opportunities for local businesses on the park.”

http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/local/potash-firm-s-plans-to-build-workers-village-and-park-and-ride-1-7117252

Liberum Capital Buy 9.17 30.00 30.00 Reiterates

Déjà vu!

2 March 2015
RNS Reach

Sirius Minerals Plc

Corn and Rice Crop Study Results

§ Polyhalite outperformed MOP in corn, improving cob height by 9% and reducing the severity of sheath blight by 71%

§ Polyhalite supports an average 38% increase over MOP in potassium uptake in rice and improves micro-nutrient uptake from 5 to 27%



The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or the "Company") provide an update on the latest results from its ongoing global crop study programme.

This update provides results from the recently completed corn study at the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Science and the rice study undertaken with Nanjing Institute of Soil Science.

Corn is the largest cereal crop in the world, demanding 7.33 million tonnes of MOP, which is the equivalent to 31.4 million tonnes of polyhalite. Cultivated rice in China represents 18% of the global hectares grown, equating to over 200 million tonnes annually.

In relation to the corn study, MOP was compared to polyhalite as the K source and measured the above ground corn biomass, plant height, cob height and resistance to disease (sheath blight). The study revealed a decrease of 14% of yellow leaves, and an increase of healthy (green) leaves by 8%.

In relation to the rice study, MOP was compared against polyhalite as the K source, but also measured the percentages of individual nutrient uptake for both the macro- and micro-nutrients. Polyhalite supports a 4% yield premium at recommended 90 kg K2O/ha over MOP and increased nutrient uptake of K by 38%. Polyhalite was also shown to improve the micro-nutrient uptake of manganese by 27%.

Chris Fraser, Managing Director and CEO of Sirius, commented:

"Another strong performance from polyhalite on such widespread and important crops is welcome and will continue to aid our discussions with current and future customers."

An agronomy update presentation and webcast has been uploaded to the Company website www.siriusminerals.com.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4986203

11 March 2015

Sirius Minerals Plc

Proposed Placing of New Ordinary Shares


The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or the "Company") announce the proposed placing of new ordinary shares in the Company ("Placing Shares") at a price of 7 pence per Placing Share (the "Placing Price") with the intention of raising approximately £15 million (the "Placing").

The Placing which is being conducted by way of an accelerated bookbuilding process to qualifying investors will be launched immediately following this Announcement, in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the Appendix to this Announcement.

Liberum Capital Limited ("Liberum") and Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited ("Macquarie") are acting as Joint Global Co-ordinators and Joint Bookrunners on the Placing. WH Ireland Limited ("WHI") is acting as a Co-Bookrunner on the Placing. The Placing is not being underwritten.

Use of Proceeds

The net proceeds from the Placing will be used principally to strengthen the Company's balance sheet and to provide additional working capital to support ongoing project development activities relating to the York Potash Project. The Directors want to ensure that the Company remains in a strong financial position throughout the planning approvals process and beyond, and are grateful for the continuing support of key shareholders. Prior to the Placing, as at 28 February 2015, the Company held cash and cash equivalents of approximately £12 million. Two of the key planning decisions for the York Potash Project are expected by the end of May 2015.

more from link below

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4993093

Sirius Minerals launches £15mln fundraise to develop York project
By Giles Gwinnett
March 11 2015

Potash deposit developer Sirius Minerals (LON:SXX) has launched a share placing to raise around £15mln to advance its York project in Yorkshire, UK.

The fundraise will be conducted by an accelerated book-building process and the books are expected to close no later than 10am today.

Liberum Capital and Macquarie Capital are acting as Joint bookrunners, while WH Ireland is a co-bookrunner.

The firm plans to issue around 214.3 million, or 11.2% of the share capital, at 7 pence each - that's around an 8.5% discount on yesterday's closing price of 7.65p.

The firm is currently going through a lengthy planning approval process for the potential new mine.

Further environmental information for its mine, mineral transport system and materials handling facilities applications was submitted to the relevant local authorities last month.

This 'straddling application' was initially put in to both the North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA) and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) last September.

Sirius said on Wednesday that two of the key planning decisions for the project were expected by the end of May this year.

Sirius said: "The directors want to ensure that the company remains in a strong financial position throughout the planning approvals process and beyond, and are grateful for the continuing support of key shareholders.

"Prior to the placing, as at 28 February 2015, the Company held cash and cash equivalents of approximately £12 million."

The project will be the first new potash mine in the UK for 40 years and the scope currently envisages a 13 mtpa operation constructed over two phases.

The first phase is designed to provide a 6.5 mtpa operation, which will then be expanded to 13 mtpa over some years.

More follows........

http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/78137/sirius-minerals-launches-15mln-fundraise-to-develop-york-project--78137.html

Investor Presentation

Edit-It states:

Created: 10/03/2015 21:47:13
Modified: 10/03/2015 21:47:13

11 March 2015

Sirius Minerals Plc

Results of Placing

The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc ("Sirius" or the "Company") announce the successful completion of the placing (the "Placing") announced earlier today.

A total of 225,978,103 new ordinary shares in the Company (the "Placing Shares") have been placed by Liberum Capital Limited and Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited (together the "Joint Bookrunners") and WH Ireland Limited (together with the Joint Bookrunners, the "Managers") at a price of 7 pence per Placing Share (the "Placing Price"). Based on the Placing Price, the net proceeds of the Placing will be approximately £15.0 million (approximately US$22.5 million). The Placing Shares being issued in the Placing represent approximately 11.8 per cent of the Company's issued ordinary share capital prior to the Placing. The Placing is not underwritten.

Chris Fraser, Managing Director and CEO of Sirius, commented:

"We are pleased to announce the result of today's significantly oversubscribed placing and acknowledge the significant support shown by both new and existing shareholders. The proceeds raised not only strengthen the balance sheet but also allow us to maintain the development momentum at our flagship York Potash Project."

The Placing Price represents a discount of approximately 8.5 per cent to the closing middle market price per Ordinary Share on 10 March 2015 on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange plc ("AIM").

Conditional on the Placing, Scrimshaw Nominees Pty Limited as trustee for the Scrimshaw Superannuation Fund, of which Russell Scrimshaw is a beneficiary, has agreed to subscribe for 714,286 new ordinary shares in the Company at the Placing Price (the "Chairman's Subscription"). Conditional on the Placing, Lord Hutton of Furness has agreed to subscribe for 28,571 new ordinary shares in the Company at the Placing Price (together with the Chairman's Subscription, the "Directors' Subscriptions").

Following the Directors' Subscriptions, Russell Scrimshaw will have a beneficial interest in 40,133,504 ordinary shares in the Company which will represent 1.88 per cent of the Company's total voting rights after completion of the Placing and Lord Hutton of Furness will have a beneficial interest in 28,571 ordinary shares in the Company.

The Placing Shares will, when issued, be credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares of Sirius, including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after the date of issue.

Application has been made for admission of the Placing Shares (including the new ordinary shares to be issued pursuant to the Directors' Subscriptions) to trading on AIM ("Admission"). It is expected that Admission will take place and that trading will commence on AIM at 8.00 a.m. on 16 March 2015 (the "Closing Date") and in any event no later than 26 March 2015.

For the purposes of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, the Company's total issued share capital following completion of the Placing will comprise 2,136,261,436 ordinary shares with one voting right per share. The Company has no shares in treasury. The above figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company, under the Disclosure and Transparency.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4993522

18 March 2015

Sirius Minerals Plc

Director Dealing and Option Exercise

The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or "the Company") were notified late yesterday that Broadscope Pty Ltd as trustee for the Catlow Family Trust of which Mr Christopher Catlow is a beneficiary, sold 3,987,000 of the Company's 0.25p ordinary shares during 16 and 17 March ("Sale Shares") at an average price of 7.46p each.

The net proceeds from the Sale Shares will be used by Broadscope Pty Ltd as trustee for the Catlow Family Trust of which Christopher Catlow is a beneficiary, to exercise 6,200,000 options ("Options") granted in April 2010 and due to expire in April 2015, and in relation to which the Company has today received an exercise notice. The Options are exercised at 4.5p per share, raising a total of £279,000 and the monies will be used for general working capital purposes.

An application will be made for the 6,200,000 shares to be issued pursuant to the exercise of the Options ("Option Shares"), which will rank pari passu with the Company's existing ordinary shares, to be admitted to trading on AIM with admission expected to take place from 8am on 24 March 2015.

Following the sale of the Sale Shares and issue of the Option Shares, Mr Catlow will have an increased indirect beneficial interest of 102,213,000 shares representing 4.77% of the Company's issued share capital.



Following the placement of shares completed on 11 March 2015 the Company was in an open period where directors and employees could buy or sell Sirius shares. The Company has now returned to a close period as it moves towards, what Sirius expects to be, a more intense period of activity in relation to the current approval process for the York Potash Project's mine and mineral transport system.



In addition, as a result of the placing of shares announced on 11 March 2015, Christopher Fraser, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, retains a direct and indirect beneficial interest of 122,628,314 shares, which now represents 5.72% of the Company's issued share capital.



Following the issue of the Option Shares, the Company's issued share capital will consist of 2,142,461,436 ordinary shares. This figure may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculation by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change of interest in, the share capital of the Company under the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4998137

27 March 2015



Sirius Minerals Plc

Issue and Allotment of Ordinary Shares following Exercise of Conversion rights

The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or the "Company") hereby announce that the Company has received notices of exercise in respect of convertible securities previously issued on 23 January 2014 at a conversion price of 6.8p per share, the details of which were announced to the market on 12 August 2013 pursuant to which 2,058,825 ordinary shares (the "Relevant Shares") fall to be issued. Application has therefore been made for the Relevant Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM with admission expected to take place on 30 March 2015. The Relevant Shares will rank pari passu in all respects with all existing ordinary shares in the Company.

Following admission of the Relevant Shares, the Company's enlarged issued share capital will comprise 2,145,020,261 ordinary shares with voting rights. This figure of 2,145,020,261 ordinary shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5004066

March issue of the York Potash Project newsletter was out yesterday:

LATEST NEWSLETTER


York Potash Project Corporate Video Published on 3 Mar 2015



THE YORK POTASH PROJECT Website

HARBOUR FACILITIES DCO APPLICATION RESUBMITTED
30 March 2015

The Company has now resubmitted its application for its proposed Harbour Facilities at Teesside. The application is for a ‘Development Consent Order (DCO)’, which is sought from the Planning Inspectorate because the proposals are deemed to be a nationally significant infrastructure project.

1 April 2015
Sirius Minerals Plc

Option Exercise

The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or the "Company") announce the receipt of an Exercise Notice in relation to 1,000,000 share options granted to a consultant in March 2010 which expired on 31 March 2015. The Company shall issue and allot 1,000,000 new ordinary shares of 0.25p per share ("Ordinary Shares") at an exercise price of 6p per share, raising a total of £60,000. The monies will be used for general working capital purposes.

An application has been made for the Ordinary Shares, which will rank pari passu with the Company's existing ordinary shares, to be admitted to trading on AIM with admission expected to take place from 8am on 2 April 2015.

Following the issue of the Ordinary Shares, the Company's issued share capital will consist of 2,146,020,261 ordinary shares. This figure may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculation by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change of interest in, the share capital of the Company under the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5007691

2 April 2015
Sirius Minerals Plc

Potato Trial Results

The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or the "Company") provide an update on the latest results from its ongoing global crop study programme.

This update provides results from the recently completed potato studies at three separate universities, the Scottish Agricultural College ("SAC"), the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin.

The world potato market is estimated at 365 million tonnes in 2012 and grown on 19.3 million hectares. Because potatoes are sensitive to harmful chlorides, they are an ideal crop for polyhalite which is essentially chloride-free. Potatoes also have a large need for sulphur, one of the main nutrients in polyhalite. The European Union accounts for 13% of the overall global potato production, and also has the highest level of potato consumption in the world at ~90 kg per capita per year.

Specifics of the trial work included, at SAC, comparisons of SOP, MOP and polyhalite as potassium sources in a nutrient balanced trial (including Mg and S) were completed. At the University of Wisconsin, a magnesium rate response trial using polyhalite as the Mg source (balanced for N, P, K, Ca and S) was compared to the fully balanced MOP alternative. At the University of Minnesota, a balanced straights and blends study was executed.

As with previous trials, these results show significant yield increases of between 9% and 10%. Other highlights demonstrate that polyhalite improved emergence by measuring stand counts by 13% and reduced glucose content by 20% which is important for product frying.

Chris Fraser, Managing Director and CEO of Sirius, commented:

"By carrying out these trials in these important markets like the United States and UK, where potatoes are a key crop, we continue to validate the effectiveness and value of polyhalite."

An agronomy update presentation and webcast has been uploaded to the Company website www.siriusminerals.com.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5008996


Agronomy Update

8 April 2015

Sirius Minerals Plc

Remuneration Report & Lapse of Options

The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or the "Company") provide an update on the results of its Remuneration Committee meeting. Following its recommendation, which mirrors the previous year's recommendation, the Board has confirmed that no share bonuses are to be awarded to Executive Directors or employees under the Company's Short Term Incentive Plan ("STIP") or the Company's Long Term Incentive Plan ("LTIP") in relation to the fiscal year ended 31 March 2015.

Pursuant to the LTIP share awards granted for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2013 (announced on 21 May 2013), 847,381 new ordinary shares of 0.25p each ("LTIP Shares") have vested in April 2015 and will be issued to employees of the Company.

285,714 LTIP Shares will be issued to Chris Fraser, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. Following the issue, Chris Fraser will have a total direct and indirect beneficial interest in 122,914,028 ordinary shares in the Company, representing 5.7 per cent of the Company's total voting rights.

An application has been made for the 847,381 LTIP Shares, which will rank pari passu with the Company's existing ordinary shares, to be admitted to trading on AIM and trading in such shares is expected to commence at 8am Thursday 9 April 2015.

Following the issue of the LTIP Shares, the total number of shares in issue and the total number of ordinary shares in the Company with voting rights will be 2,146,867,642. This figure may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculation by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change of interest in, the share capital of the Company under the Financial Conduct Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

Lapse of options

Details of all issued options in Company shares are available on the Company's website at all times and the website is updated frequently. An update today reflects that 43,800,000 options lapsed on 5 April 2015 ("Lapsed Options"). The holder of the Lapsed Options was Broadscope Pty Ltd as trustee for the Catlow Family Trust, of which Mr Christopher Catlow is a beneficiary.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5011386

Why Sirius Minerals is up again
By Harriet Mann | Wed, 8th April 2015 - 15:25

Sirius Minerals (SXX) has been stuck in a planning application quagmire as it tries to win approval for its potentially massive York Potash project. Getting the authority's go-ahead is vital, but a series of delays has caused a plunge in the share price to new lows. However, the firm has just confirmed it will not be awarding bonuses again this year and there's also news on some lapsed share options.
Directors and staff will get nothing under either the Short Term Incentive Plan or Long Term Incentive Plan for the year to 31 March 2015, said Sirius on Wednesday. They received nothing last year either, but 285,714 LTIP shares will be issued to chief executive Chris Fraser out of a total of 847,381 issued as part of the scheme in 2013. Fraser now owns nearly 123 million shares, or 5.7% of Sirius.

Of greater importance, however, is news that 43.8 million options held by the trustee of deputy chairman Chris Catlow's Catlow Family Trust have been allowed to lapse. Of course, we do not know Catlow's financial situation, but it is understood that the options were in the money and the market could have taken this decision badly. Instead, the avoidance of further dilution of investor's holding has been taken favourably, and Sirius shares are near a 2015 high.



Last month, Sirius raised £15 million from an oversubscribed placing at 7p per share, which will help fund further development at its York Potash project. Multiple delays to the project have put pressure on Sirius's share price, which fell to just over 6p in February. Sirius has been lining up the buyers and approval is expected in May. Expect plenty of newsflow over the next few weeks and months.

"We feel that there will be a positive outcome as Sirius has demonstrated that it will go the extra mile to limit its effect on the local area," said Paul Smith, an analyst at WH Ireland, recently.

"We feel there is considerable value in the York Potash project and we keep our price target unchanged today. Our valuation is based on an NPV (10% discount rate) of the project ramping up to 13Mt/a polyhalite assuming a $2.3 billion capex and a polyhalite price of $150/t, risked for the appropriate stage of the project. Sirius continues to demonstrate a market for its polyhalite product which competes not just with standard potash, but also with sources of calcium, magnesium and sulphate and comes 'preloaded' with a long list of minor trace elements essential for healthy plant growth."

This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The value of an investment may fall. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.

9 April 2015

Sirius Minerals Plc

Issue and Allotment of Ordinary Shares following Exercise of Conversion rights

The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or the "Company") hereby announce that the Company has received notices of exercise in respect of convertible securities previously issued on 23 January 2014 at conversion prices of 7.2p and 7.3p per share, the details of which were announced to the market on 12 August 2013 pursuant to which 9,088,662 ordinary shares (the "Relevant Shares") fall to be issued. Application has therefore been made for the Relevant Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM with admission expected to take place on 10 April 2015. The Relevant Shares will rank pari passu in all respects with all existing ordinary shares in the Company.

Following admission of the Relevant Shares, the Company's enlarged issued share capital will comprise 2,155,956,304 ordinary shares with voting rights. This figure of 2,155,956,304 ordinary shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5012173

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10 April 2015

Sirius Minerals Plc

End of Conversion rights from Convertible Security Financing

The Directors of Sirius Minerals Plc (AIM: SXX, OTCQX: SRUXY) ("Sirius" or the "Company") announce the end of conversion rights pursuant to the convertible security financing first announced to the market on 12 August 2013.

This follows the Company receiving notices of exercise in respect of convertible securities previously issued on 23 January 2014 at conversion prices of 7.3p and 7.4p per share, the details of which were announced to the market on 12 August 2013 pursuant to which 8,135,877 ordinary shares (the "Relevant Shares") fall to be issued. An application has therefore been made for the Relevant Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM with admission expected to take place on 15 April 2015. The Relevant Shares will rank pari passu in all respects with all existing ordinary shares in the Company.

Following admission of the Relevant Shares, the Company's enlarged issued share capital will comprise 2,164,092,181 ordinary shares with voting rights. This figure of 2,164,092,181 ordinary shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=5013210