Elevate Uranium’s managing director, Murray Hill, said the five reverse circulation drill rigs at Namibia’s uranium assets are progressing well.
Three drill rigs are operating at Koppies, converting the existing inferred resource to JORC indicated resource.
The other two drill rigs are focusing on the Hirabeb and Capri projects to delineate further mineralisation identified from previous broad-spaced exploration drilling programs.
Each rig typically completes approximately 25 holes per week for a weekly total of 125 holes between the five rigs.
Hill said the infill drilling programs are meant to increase the confidence level of the Koppies resources and add pounds to the other projects.
Koppies is one of the shallowest uranium resources globally, with approximately 95% of the total mineral resource within 18.5 metres and 50% within 7 metres of the surface.
These parameters imply a potential low strip ratio and low-cost mining operation at Koppies, which would benefit the overall economics of any future operation.
“We have drilled 1,979 holes for 52,698 metres on the programs on these three projects alone this calendar year, in addition to holes drilled at Koppies before the resource update in April,” Hill said.
At Hirabeb, Hill said they achieved some excellent results, including 15.5 m at 599 ppm U3O8 and 12.0 m at 451 ppm U3O8, 7.5 m at 616 ppm U3O8 and 4.0 m at 1,198 ppm U3O8. “These programs are an essential step towards developing our projects, and we are encouraged by the progress made so far this year,” he said.
The company will now undertake a detailed metallurgical testwork program on about six tonnes of Koppies bulk ore samples in transit to a metallurgical testwork facility in Perth.
The results of this bench scale program will be used to design the pilot plant.
The Hirabeb Uranium Project is the second of the company’s four discoveries in four years, after Koppies.
The Hirabeb mineralisation is only 25 kilometres from the southern portion of the Koppies resource and is part of the greater Koppies Project area.
The program undertaken during 2024 has occurred in two phases.
The first phase targeted Koppies 3 style mineralisation around the extremities of the tenement.
The program’s current phase is on the known mineralised area to confirm the extent of the main mineralised envelope to delineate and report a maiden resource later this year.
Four hundred forty-five holes for 10,581 m have been drilled this calendar year.
The Capri Uranium Project is only 25 kilometres from the Company’s Marenica Uranium Project.
The initial phase of drilling consisted of greenfield exploration holes targeting Koppies 3 style mineralisation on the western edge of the tenement.
The program’s second phase then moved the known mineralised area where the distance between drill lines varied between 800 and 2,500 metres apart to cover the 16 km extent of mineralisation.
The infill drill program will close the spacing between drill lines to define the mineralisation outline better.
A total of 256 holes for 7,225 m have been drilled in 2024.
