The project at a glance, what the survey work found, the resource figures, the borehole plan, the development concept — and the project information available to partners.
Processing, refining, iodization, packaging and industrial products
Partnership sought
Investment + technology + engineering + markets
Project figures and technical parameters are preliminary and subject to verification through ongoing studies, laboratory testing, engineering design and independent due diligence.
2. Location
Where the project is
The project sits on the Habulay saline river basin, where surface salt crusts and shallow saline groundwater occur naturally. The site provides the foundation for a solar-based salt-production operation, subject to detailed resource characterisation, engineering assessment, environmental requirements and commercial feasibility.
Point
Detail
Resource area
Habulay Saline River Basin
Project location
Gansale Village (central point)
Satellite imagery, site maps, boundary information and access information form part of the data room available to qualified partners.
Project location map: red marker shows the project area in Nogob Zone, Somali Regional State.
3. Resource opportunity
What the survey work found
Preliminary field work and remote-sensing analysis have been undertaken to understand salinity characteristics, brine occurrence, surface conditions, the geological setting, hydrogeological conditions, potential evaporation areas and site accessibility.
Hydrochemical & saline potential
Parameter
Value range
Interpretation
TDS
>250,000 mg/L
Hypersaline — suitable for commercial salt extraction
Na⁺ / Cl⁻ ratio
0.9 – 1.1
Near-marine composition
SO₄²⁻ content
High
Indicates gypsum and anhydrite dissolution
pH
6.5 – 7.5
Neutral to slightly saline
Evaporation rate
≈7 – 9 mm/day
High potential for natural solar evaporation ponds
Geological background
The Habulay River area lies within the south-eastern Ethiopian plateau and is structurally part of the Ogaden Basin. The stratigraphic succession observed and confirmed by field and remote sensing studies includes:
Geological period
Formation
Lithology
Salinity potential
Cretaceous
Korahe Formation (Kg1–Kg2)
Alternating gypsum, shale, limestone, anhydrite
High — principal evaporite sequence and source of salt brine
Cretaceous
Mustahil Formation (Km)
Marl, limestone, sandstone
Moderate — secondary salinity contribution
Cretaceous
Ferfer Formation (Kf)
Shale, dolomite, anhydrite
Moderate to high — contributes sulphate brine
Jurassic
Gabredarre & Agula Formations
Limestone and marl
Moderate — acts as aquifer host for saline circulation
Jurassic
Urandab & Antalo Formations
Shale, marl, limestone
Low — confining and structural support units
Geomorphological features
Topography: gently undulating plains with low-relief ridges trending NE–SW, controlled by regional fault systems.
Drainage pattern: seasonal river channels (wadis) drain saline brines towards low-lying evaporation depressions.
Evaporative depressions: satellite analysis indicates multiple brine concentration zones along the Habulay River, coinciding with gypsum-bearing outcrops of the Lower Korahe Formation.
Surface features: light-toned reflective surfaces observed in multispectral imagery correspond to salt crusts and evaporite layers.
Remote sensing & salinity analysis
Spectral indicators: high reflectance in shortwave-infrared and near-infrared bands, indicating sodium chloride and gypsum surfaces.
Thermal analysis: surface-temperature anomalies up to +4 °C above surroundings, consistent with salt crusts and brine concentration.
Brine ponds: approximately 15–20 natural evaporation ponds identified with high salinity signatures (albedo index >0.45).
4. Preliminary resource estimate
Indicative resource figures
Component
Estimated coverage
Potential yield
Surface salt crusts
≈2.5 km²
20,000 – 25,000 tons (NaCl)
Shallow brine zone
3 – 5 m depth
45,000 – 60,000 m³ brine
Gypsum / anhydrite beds
10 – 15 m thick
500,000 – 700,000 tons (gypsum equivalent)
Evaporation-pond areas
15 – 20 ha of favourable evaporation-pond areas identified
Resource life (preliminary)
>10 years at the planned abstraction rate (preliminary)
Survey basis
Remote sensing (satellite) and stratigraphic correlation with the Korahe Basin
Preliminary, not certified.
These are preliminary estimates from remote-sensing analysis and field studies, prepared for project development. They are not an independently certified mineral resource statement and must not be read as a production forecast. Recoverable quantities depend on evaporation performance, brine management and pilot testing — which is exactly what the pilot stage is for. How we describe these figures (PDF)
5. Preliminary borehole exploration plan
Preliminary 5-borehole exploration plan
The cooperative's concept map proposes five shallow exploration boreholes along the Habulay River corridor, inside an identified 150 ha permit area. Each location targets a different part of the brine system so that salinity and water chemistry can be compared between locations before the pilot evaporation ponds are designed.
Concept map: five proposed boreholes and drilling methods, Habulay corridor.
Purpose of the boreholes
Confirm brine occurrence and aquifer characteristics
Collect representative samples for laboratory analysis
Compare salinity and water chemistry between locations
Use the results to refine the pilot evaporation design
Locations
#
Location
1
Centre brine pool (main GPS)
2
Upstream wadi
3
Downstream wadi
4
East bank, mid-wadi
5
West bank, mid-wadi
Drilling methods considered
Method
Note
Hand auger / manual drilling
Suitable for the first 10 m in soft sediments; low cost.
Small rotary rig
10–25 m depth with PVC casing and screen at the bottom. Recommended as the main method.
Monitoring-well completion
Casing, screen and gravel pack for repeated sampling and water-level monitoring.
≈150 ha identified permit area · 5 shallow exploration boreholes (15–25 m depth) · Brine confirmation for a 10,000–25,000 t/year concept
This is a preliminary planning graphic and must be field-verified before any drilling. Borehole positions, depths and the permit area are subject to survey, land access and regulatory confirmation.
6. Technical development
From resource to production
The proposed technical development combines several interconnected systems. The final configuration will follow engineering studies, resource confirmation and economic analysis.
A. Brine / saline-water system
Boreholes where technically appropriate
Pumps and brine-collection systems
Channels and pipelines
Storage and control structures
B. Solar evaporation
Pre-concentration ponds
Evaporation ponds
Crystallization ponds
Brine-transfer systems
Salt harvesting areas
C. Harvesting & handling
Mechanical harvesting
Controlled manual operations
Salt collection
Transport
Raw-salt storage
7. Processing & value addition
The long-term development concept is not limited to raw salt
Raw salt
Washing
Purification
Drying
Crushing / milling
Screening & grading
Iodization
Packaging
Market
Edible salt
Refined and iodized salt for human consumption, subject to applicable Ethiopian standards, laboratory testing, certification and regulatory requirements.
Industrial salt
Salt for industrial customers requiring specific purity, particle size and chemical specifications.
Livestock salt
Products developed for livestock applications according to appropriate technical and regulatory requirements.
Raw solar salt
Bulk raw salt for customers with suitable processing capacity.
Additional products may be considered after technical and market validation.
8. Survey report & next steps
Recommendations from the survey analysis
Conduct geo-electrical resistivity surveys to define brine depth and extent.
Drill 3–5 shallow exploratory boreholes (≤50 m) to map the brine aquifer.
Establish pilot solar evaporation ponds (1 ha each) for production testing.
Integrate GIS-based mapping of gypsum and salt-crust zones for sustainable extraction planning.
Prepare Environmental and Community Impact Assessments for cooperative development.
Request the survey summary.
The full report and its underlying data are provided to qualified partners under confidentiality. The document index is in section 9 of this page.
How this works.
A serious investor first identifies their organisation and area of interest using the request form in section 11; Noolays then provides the appropriate documents under a confidentiality and due-diligence arrangement. Nothing sensitive is published here as a download.
The data room index
Subject to confidentiality and the nature of the request, the investor information package can include:
