South Harz Potash Ltd (ASX:SHP) has strengthened its presence in the region of Germany that hosts its flagship South Harz Potash Project through the appointment of Dr Babette Winter as regional manager Thŭringia.
The appointment of the German national with a background in technical and socio-political affairs is expected to help create a pathway for SHP to develop the project utilising her expertise and stakeholder management experience.
Leadership of South Harz team
Dr Winter’s responsibilities include the establishment and leadership of the South Harz German office team in Erfurt, Thŭringia.
This team is set to deliver direct administrative and services support to the company’s accelerating South Harz Project activities, particularly within the inaugural Ohmgebirge Mining Licence area.
Leadership of this team will also encompass all in-country Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives, including ongoing interaction with key stakeholders and consultants at regional and Federal levels to advance South Harz’s ESG strategy and its implementation framework.
Creating a pathway
South Harz managing director Dr Chris Gilchrist said: “I am delighted to welcome Dr Winter to the South Harz team.
"Her combination of technical expertise and deep stakeholder management experience is expected to be highly effective in creating the pathway to successful and sustainable development of the South Harz Project in this historical mining region.”
Dr Winter’s appointment is consistent with South Harz’s commitment to the sustainable development of the world-class South Harz Potash Project.
This commitment offers the clear potential to deliver critical potash supply into the European market across minimal transport distances with a low delivered carbon emission footprint.
Regional expertise
Dr Winter holds a PhD in Chemistry from Westfaelische Wilhelms-University Mŭnster and has held key positions in public relations followed by a career in administration and politics, notably as Head of Environmental Policy Department within the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, the Environment and Nature Conservation in Thŭringia.
More recently, she served as Member of the European Parliament, was appointed to the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and was the Deputy Member in the Environment and Climate Change Committee.
For more than five years, she served as State Secretary for European Affairs in the government of Thŭringia.
“Hope to make contribution”
Dr Winter commented: “I am excited to join South Harz, and specifically its subsidiary SüdHarzKali in Thŭringia, where I hope to make a significant contribution to the return of potash mining in the region.
"I look forward to utilising my experience in environmental and stakeholder management to advance the development of a modern, sustainable mine at Ohmgebirge, and thereby enable delivery of these critical resources for the people of Europe.”
Large-scale potash resource
The South Harz Project in the South Harz Potash District region midway between Frankfurt and Berlin hosts a globally large-scale potash JORC (2012) inferred resource estimate of 5.3 billion tonnes at 10.8% K2O across four wholly-owned project areas.
This comprises three perpetual potash mining licences, Ohmgebirge, Ebeleben and MühlhausenNohra, and two potash exploration licences, Küllstedt and Gräfentonna, covering a combined area of about 659 square kilometres.
With strong established infrastructure proximate to the key European market, the South Harz Project is well-positioned to enable rapid economic development across multiple deposits.
