Sirius Minerals has bought more onshore mineral rights for its York Potash project between Scarborough and Whitby. The York Potash project would be the first new deep potash mine in Britain for 40 years and would supply the UK’s fertilizer industry. Sirius has said the project could lead to 5,000 jobs. The group has raised £20 million from the AIM investment market to fund geological, environmental, and engineering studies to access deposits of potash under the shore of the North Sea. It has obtained options over a further 13 sq km, making up a total of 621 sq km. Chris Fraser, managing director and chief executive of Sirius said the gain of these outstanding mineral rights gave the business further confidence in defining a significant, world-class potash project: “The addition of 1,300 hectares represents a significant increase in our onshore mineral rights position,” he said. The land has already been explored for potash and gas and the company has identified five historical boreholes drilled on this land. It is working with its consultants to evaluate the full significance of the data, although it said initial examinations indicate the presence of significant potash mineralisation. “These holes demonstrate the quality of the potassium chloride seam lying above our potentially massive polyhalite target, which remains our principal focus. Our mineral rights process remains ongoing and we expect to update the market in due course,” said Mr Fraser.