If AEE did not mention water in its recent announcement, then I...

If AEE did not mention water in its recent announcement, then I would not have mentioned it on here until I saw the DFS.

A few points from your post:
1. The water contractor "was not great". Seems to be a theme. Handling issues in the met testing too. Does AEE have problems selecting good contractors and/or is the cupboard bare in Mauritania?

2. "the costs were too high for our project". Logic would dictate costs for water from 100km away would be relatively expensive. So does this mean the project is uneconomic/borderline if they are unable to find a closer supply? And yet, "I can be categoric....I have no concerns regarding water". The message is mixed, imo.

3. The DFS should have already been released and yet, now they feel the need to search for water supply closer to the prospective mine. The timing seems off, imo.

Didn't Glencore abandon Askaf as it was uneconomic? Not sure if this is the best example.
https://www.woodmac.com/reports/metals-askaf-iron-ore-mine-16561189

All imo.