Fertilizer International 529 Nov-Dec 2025
21 November 2025
Mining license for Ammaroo phosphate project
Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) Government awarded developer Verdant Minerals a mining license for its Ammaroo phosphate project in October.
The approval follows the granting of two mineral leases in March and allows the project to proceed to the construction and mining phase, subject to a final investment decision (FID).
“Securing the mining licence puts Verdant Minerals’ Ammaroo Project firmly on track to reach Final Investment Decision and commence construction as early as mid-2027,” the NT Government said in a statement.
Located 200 kilometres south-east of Tennant Creek, the Ammaroo project is expected to create around 400 jobs during construction and 250 long-term operational roles over its 25-plus year mine life. With phosphate ore reserves of more than one billion tonnes, Ammaroo could generate $15 billion in production revenues over this period, Verdant Minerals estimates.
“Mining approval from the NT Government is a major milestone for Ammaroo and clears the way for Verdant Minerals to advance the process of project financing to enable the construction of the first stage of the project, delivering local jobs, contracting opportunities, and long-term economic benefits across the NT,” said Chris Tziolis, Managing Director, Verdant Minerals.
“Ammaroo will help strengthen regional phosphate rock supply at a time of global uncertainty. We’re ready to move from planning to execution and create a reliable, NT-made phosphate rock product for regional agriculture. With this approval secured, we will now move swiftly to finalise project funding with our lenders and partners, paving the way for FID and a targeted construction start in 2027,” he added.
Verdant Minerals has so far invested more than $10 million in project engineering, environmental and civil works.
