BBB, I think you are right about the first point holding the SP back, is it a nickel or a chromium play?
Based on the outstanding results from DE1 a lot of people were projecting similar results for all or most of identified targets. In that way the region would easily have become economic for mine development, in spite of that the costs will run into several billion dollars.
Now the situation is very different and no one knows what will be found next. What will it be and will it be enough to make it economic.
The region is outstanding in terms of geology and it is huge, but it will take a lot of drilling to determine what and how much. Also the place is a very remote wetland making everything slower and more costly. This will take time to sort out