presentation march 2014

29
Premium Potash Project Driven by a Proven Management Team TSX : PRK OTCQX : POTRF March 2014

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Page 1: Presentation   march 2014

Premium Potash Project

Driven by a

Proven Management TeamTSX : PRKOTCQX : POTRFMarch 2014

Page 2: Presentation   march 2014

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

2

Certain statements in this presentation may constitute "forward-looking" statements which involve

known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results,

performance or achievements of Potash Ridge Corporation (the "Corporation"), or industry results, to

be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by

such forward-looking statements. When used in this presentation, such statements use such words

as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate" and other

similar terminology. These statements reflect the Corporation's current expectations regarding future

events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this presentation. Forward-looking

statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, which include, but are not limited to the factors

discussed under “A Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements” and "Risk Factors" in

the Corporation’s Annual Information Form dated March 27, 2013, and should not be read as

guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of

whether or not such results will be achieved. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this

presentation are based upon what management of the Corporation believes are reasonable

assumptions, the Corporation cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these

forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this

presentation and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to

applicable securities laws, the Corporation assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect

new events or circumstances.

Page 3: Presentation   march 2014

Focused on near term sulphate of

potash (“SOP”) production at its

Blawn Mountain property in Utah

3

SOP 645,000 tons average per annum

40 year Project Life backed by reserves

Page 4: Presentation   march 2014

EXPERIENCED AND PROVEN MANAGEMENT

OVER 80 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE

Guy Bentinck President & CEO

Chartered Accountant;20 years mining/resource experience

Sherritt: CFO and SVP Capital Projects

Ross Phillips Chief Operating Officer

10 years experience in large resource and energy sector projects

Sherritt, Capital Power

Jeff Hillis Chief Financial Officer

Chartered Accountant;10 years mining sector finance, including CFO of several public mining companies

Iberian Minerals, Excellon, Falconbridge

Paul Hampton VP, Project

Management

Geologist and Metallurgical Engineer;

~30 years experience in design, construction, start-up and management of mineral processing facilities

SNC, Washington Group, Outotec

4

Laura Nelson VP, Government and

Regulatory Affairs

Extensive experience in government relations, permitting and power planning, including the successful permitting a large mine in Utah

Red Leaf Resources, Utah Government

Page 5: Presentation   march 2014

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

40 year mine life, with mineral reserves of 426 million tons of ore

Large mineral deposit containing premium-quality potash and alumina rich material

645,000 tons of SOP per annum over life of mine

Mining friendly jurisdiction, established infrastructure nearby, designated

development lands and efficient state permitting

PFS completed November 2013: $1.0 billion NPV at 10%; 20.5% after tax IRR;

excludes potential revenue from alumina rich material

Historical work expedites project development; proven production process

Lower risk surface mining deposit; expected low cost producer

5

Page 6: Presentation   march 2014

POTASH OVERVIEW

6

Page 7: Presentation   march 2014

No known substitute

Increasing world population

Growing per capita income

Decreasing arable land

Increasing use of biofuels

POTASH WORLD DEMAND +5% EXPECTED ANNUAL

DEMAND TO 2016; SOP HIGHER GROWTH POTENTIAL

POTASH:

ESSENTIAL TO THE WORLD’S FOOD SUPPLY

7

Page 8: Presentation   march 2014

POTASSIUM AND SULPHUR ARE ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS

SOP: PREMIUM FERTILIZER

Sulphate of Potash

(SOP)

Muriate of Potash

(MOP)

50% K2O Equivalent 60% K2O Equivalent

17% S 0% S

<1.0% Cl 45% Cl

4.8 million tonnes sold in 20131 50 million tonnes sold in 20131

Improves yield, quality, taste

and enhances shelf life1

Crop quality/yield diminish as

chloride builds up1

1 CRU 2013 8Chemical makeup assumes 92.5% K2SO4 and 95% KCl product

Consumption of

SOP restricted by

limited production

capacity, with little

expansion potential

SOP share of potash

market:

Current: 5 Mt

Potential: 10-12 Mt

Trend toward high

nutrient fertilizers

Trend towards pricing of

SOP based on

incremental revenue

through yield/quantity

improvements vs.

premiums over MOP

Page 9: Presentation   march 2014

SOP – A DISTINCT & VALUABLE

POTASH PRODUCT

Fruits

Vegetables

Nuts

Horticultural Plants

Tobacco

Tea

Coffee

Dry/Salty soil

Especially valued for chloride sensitive crops,

SOP improves yields on high value crops such as:

9

Page 10: Presentation   march 2014

SOP MARKET DYNAMICS

1CRU 201310

Europe24%

N. America

7%

C & S America

6%

China49%

Africa5% RoW

9%

SOP Consumption by Region

RegionProcess

Method

World

CapacityProcess Inputs Products

Avg Cost

/ Ton1

Future

Outlook

China/

Europe Mannheim2.3Mt

43%

MOP SOP

$453

High

Cost/by-

product

limits

growth

Sulfuric Acid Hydrochloric

Acid

Energy

EuropeMOP and

Kieserite

1.2Mt

22%

MOP SOP

$440

No

additional

deposits

Kieserite Magnesium

Chloride

Energy

China/

USA/

Chile

Salt Lakes1.9Mt

35%

Lake Brines SOP

$381

No

additional

suitable

lakes

Energy Magnesium

Chloride

Sodium Chloride

Existing SOP Production by Process

New sources of SOP from these existing

processes are unlikely due to lack of

primary sources and difficulties

surrounding secondary source production.

CRU predicts SOP consumption

of 9,500,000 tonnes per annum

by 2019 – where will this

production come from?

Page 11: Presentation   march 2014

-

200.0

400.0

600.0

800.0

1,000.0

1,200.0

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

POT - North America (MOP)

CMP - (SOP)

CURRENT PREMIUM 145% FOR SOP IN US

SOP PREMIUM PRICE TRENDS

U.S. $/tonne

11 1 Compass Minerals Q4 2013 Report, 2 Potash Corp Q4 2013 Report

Compass Q4/13 realized price $690/tonne1

Potash Corp Q4/13 realized price $282/tonne2

Recent quotes from blenders in Uberaba, Brazil $1,110/tonne

Page 12: Presentation   march 2014

SIGNIFICANT GROWTH POTENTIAL

EASY ACCESS TO LOCAL MARKETS

SOP MARKET TARGETS

121 CRU 20132 From PRK Study August 2013, based on crops that are best suited for SOP

United States

SOP consumption: 385,000 tons1

Potential consumption: 920,000 tons2

Large scale production of chloride intolerant crops such as nuts in California

and citrus fruits in Florida drive a large part of US SOP demand. Consumption

of these crops continues – e.g. Almond crops have grown by 7% per year

since the mid 1990s.

Brazil

SOP consumption: 42,000 tons per year2 (0.4% of total potash

consumption)

Potential consumption: 2.1 million tons2

Brazil is the world’s largest grower of coffee, soybeans and citrus fruits, all

SOP crops. Low consumption is entirely due to lack of SOP availability.

China

SOP consumption 1.9 million tons per year1

Potential consumption: 4 million tons per year2

China produces close to half of the world’s fruits and vegetables, and nearly

one-third of the world’s tobacco and tea. SOP consumption almost doubled

between 2007 and 20121, with large untapped growth potential.

Page 13: Presentation   march 2014

THE BLAWN MOUNTAIN PROJECT

13

Page 14: Presentation   march 2014

ANTICIPATED INITIAL PRODUCTION IN 2017

PROJECT OVERVIEW

14

Large alunite deposit, which is expected to be

processed into SOP, and possible alumina rich

material

Average 645,000 tons of SOP per annum

Historical work expedites project development

Mineral deposit to be surface mined

Proven process backed by extensive metallurgical

testing

Page 15: Presentation   march 2014

ORE TEST PIT

15

Page 16: Presentation   march 2014

ALMOST 100 YEARS OF POTASH PRODUCTION

UTAH: AN ATTRACTIVE

MINING JURISDICTION

1Forbes Magazine, December, 2012 2Fraser Institute, April, 2013

Major resource producer

Existing potash production

Best state for business1

Top quartile mining jurisdiction2

16

Page 17: Presentation   march 2014

OUR LAND ADVANTAGEState-owned land designated for

development

Efficient permitting process

Leasehold and royalty agreements

negotiated

No known adverse environmental or

social issues

Sufficient water nearby – rights

application made

Roads, rail, transmission and natural gas

nearby

Construction materials, equipment

suppliers and skilled labour force

17

MUNICIPAL AND STATE SUPPORT OF PROJECT

Page 18: Presentation   march 2014

PREVIOUS WORK ACCELERATES PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

EXTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT COMPLETED IN 1970’s

18

• Approximately $25 million spent (~$100 million in today’s dollars).

• Programs included:

Drilling, Resource estimate, Feasibility Study, mine plan, Engineering, Permitting and 3-year operation of a pilot plant processing up to 11 tons per day.

• Alumina originally primary product;

SOP was by-product

• Project ultimately shelved due to poor

economic conditions in early 1980s

• Potash Ridge owns all historical data

Page 19: Presentation   march 2014

SIMPLE PROVEN FLOWSHEET

Alunite

Calcination

Water Leach

Alumina Rich Material

SOP SolutionCrystallizing Drying,

Compacting & SizingSOP

SO2Acid Plant Sulphuric Acid

19

Flowsheet similar to commercial-scale production

processes historically used in US, Australia and Azerbaijan.

RECENT EXTENSIVE TEST WORK CONFIRMS FLOWSHEET

• Plant to process 10.4 million tons per annum

• Metallurgical testing on-going for Feasibility Study

Crushing & Grinding

Page 20: Presentation   march 2014

PREFEASIBILITY STUDY – SUMMARY

• Proven & Probable mineral reserves of 426 million tons;

• Reserves support 40 year mine life, with potential to increase life of operations through

exploration of two additional zones of known mineralization;

• Project after tax Net Present Value (“NPV”) of $1.0 billion using a 10% discount rate:

• Total sales of 26 million tons of SOP over life of mine;

• Unlevered after tax internal rate of return (“IRR”) of 20.5%; payback period of 5 years

after commencement of operations;

• Strong cash flow generation with cash flow from operations of $234 million per annum

excluding the two year ramp up period;

• Approximately 28% of direct capital costs are supported by packaged quotes

1Inclusive of by-product acid revenues and exclusive of royalties; no credit assumed for potential

revenue from the sale of alumina rich material. 20

Economic Indicators

NPV (after tax, at 10%) $1.0 billion

IRR (after tax) 20.5%

Payback period (from commencement of operations) 5 years

Average annual SOP production 645,000 tons

Average annual sulphuric acid production 1,440,000 tons

SOP price (average) $649/ton

Sulphuric acid price (average) $135/ton

Project life 40 years

Initial capital cost (including 15% contingency) $1,124 million

Operating cost (excluding royalties) $173/ton SOP

The economic evaluation is based on

the following assumptions:

• Site construction commences late

2015;

• Production ramp-up over 2 years

(2017-2018), reaching full

production in 2019;

• SOP pricing from CRU forecast

below current North American

SOP prices;

• Average tax rate of 35%.

Page 21: Presentation   march 2014

SOP CAPITAL COST BREAKDOWN1

21

CAPITAL COST: $1.124 billion(15% contingency)

14% SOP Leaching, Crystallization

and Drying

42% Calcination13%

Crushing & Grinding

31% Contingency,Indirects and Infrastructure

1 Excludes utilities and other infrastructure

not incurred by Potash Ridge ($641 million):

Build-own-operate arrangements

under negotiation.

Acid Plant ($280 million)

Natural Gas Line ($83 million)

Water Treatment Plant ($60 million)

Expect to access government

funding programs

Rail Spur ($76 million)

Access road ($53 million)

To be incurred by Mine Contractor Mine Capital ($89 million)

Page 22: Presentation   march 2014

OPERATING COSTS: $173/TON OF SOP

22

7% Other ($14M)

14%Royalties($33M)

Excludes credit for potential alumina rich material revenue.Includes 15% contingency (excluding non-energy and labour costs).

Total Cash Production Costs

Annual Average

Cost($)/Ton SOP

(Constant 2013 $US)

Direct Plant and Mine Cash Production

Cost $414

Credit for Value of Acid $(302)

Subtotal of Direct Plant and Mine Cash

Production Cost$112

Site G&A, Property Taxes & Corporate

Overhead$27

3rd Party Facility Charges $34

Total before royalty $173

Royalties $45

Total Cash Production Cost $218

Potash Ridge Salt Lakes MOP/ SulphateSalts

MannheimProcess

Cash Production CostsAvg Cost/Ton

$381

$440

$453

$173

Potash Ridge

Expected In Production

1 CRU 2013

1

1 1

Page 23: Presentation   march 2014

PREFEASIBILITY STUDY –

RESERVES ESTABLISHED

Drilling to date has focused

only on two of the four areas

within the 15,400 acre land

parcel

Supports 40 years of

operations

Reserves demonstrate the

economic and technical

viability of the Project

23

Reserve Category

Total

Proven

('000

tons)

Probable

('000 tons)

Alunite Ore (ROM tons) 136,254 289,540 425,794

Ore (average K2O (%) grade) 3.56 3.49 3.51

Ore (average K2SO4 (%) grade) 6.59 6.46 6.49

SOP (tons) 8,457 17,970 26,427

Sulphuric Acid (tons) @ 98% Purity 18,888 40,136 59,024

Mineral Reserves by Category November 6, 2013

Page 24: Presentation   march 2014

SULPHURIC ACID

24

Driven by local US Market – prices dependent on supply and proximity

Mountain West US market approximately 5.6 million tons per annum

Expected increase in this market from mine expansions and new mine development

Potash Ridge will provide stable supply to consumers

MOU in place for 20% of acid production

Page 25: Presentation   march 2014

• Leaching process leaves alumina rich material which, with beneficiation, may be used as a substitute to bauxite as a feedstock into a Bayer alumina production facility.

• Metallurgical testing confirmed the alumina in this material is soluble in high temperature caustic solutions

• May also be acceptable as a raw material feed for low temperature refineries

• Further testing is underway to determine whether the alumina rich material could meet specifications for feed material in the production of ceramic proppants in North America.

• PFS economics do not include revenue from the sale of alumina rich material

25

UPSIDE POTENTIAL FROM LEACH RESIDUE

SOURCES OF SMELTER FEED TO CHINA

Blawn

Mountain,

Utah

Boke,

Guinea

Trombetas,

Brazil

Kingston,

Jamaica

Distance to Shandong Province, China (nm) 5,744 11,128 10,815 9,051

Port Long Beach Conakry Aratu Jamaica

Page 26: Presentation   march 2014

MILESTONES

26

EXPECTED

43-101 Measured and Indicated Resource to support 30-year mine life

Issue Preliminary Economics Assessment

Commence metallurgical test program

Commence Pilot Plant Test work & produce SOP from test work

Complete baseline environmental surveys

Issue Prefeasibility Study supporting 40-year mine live

Submit Large Mining Permit Application

Complete metallurgical test program

Water Rights application approval

Air Quality Permit filed

Large Mining Permit approval

Issue Feasibility Study

Receive final permits

Construction start up

Ramp up

a a

a a

a a

a

2017

End 2015

End 2015

Early-Mid

2015

Q2 2014

End 2014

Q3 2014

Note: Timelines are based on obtaining sufficient financing to advance Feasibility Study

2014 to

End 2015

Page 27: Presentation   march 2014

CAPITAL STRUCTURE

27

Millions

Common Shares 81.7

Non-voting Common Shares 5.0

Total Shares Outstanding 86.7

Warrants – $ 0.50 10.7

Warrants – $1.00 5.0

Broker options/warrants 3.4

Stock options 7.0

Total Fully Diluted Shares 112.9

As at December 31, 2013

INSIDERS HOLD 5%, 10% FULLY DILUTED

Page 28: Presentation   march 2014

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

40 year mine life, with mineral reserves of 426 million tons of ore

Large mineral deposit containing premium-quality potash and alumina rich material

645,000 tons of SOP per annum over life of mine

Mining friendly jurisdiction, established infrastructure nearby, designated

development lands and efficient state permitting

PFS completed November 2013: $1.0 billion NPV at 10%; 20.5% after tax IRR;

excludes potential revenue from alumina rich material

Historical work expedites project development; proven production process

Lower risk surface mining deposit; expected low cost producer

28

Page 29: Presentation   march 2014

CONTACT US

29

Toronto office:

3 Church Street, Suite 600

Toronto, Ontario

M5E 1M2

Phone: 416-362-8640 ext 101

Salt Lake City office:

170 S. Main Street, Suite 500

Salt Lake City, UT

80101

Phone: 801-433-6027

www.potashridge.com

[email protected]