Ongoing metallurgical beneficiation test work using ore from Elevate Uranium’s Koppies project in Namibia will inform the design of the company’s proposed U-pgrade demonstration plant.
Six tonnes of uranium samples excavated from bulk test pits at the Koppies resource have been sent to a laboratory in Perth for the test work.
Detailed mineralogical analysis of each sample is in progress, along with bench-scale testing of the primary composites.
Design components
Elevate expects the test results in the new year and anticipates the demonstration plant to be operational by late 2025.
The company is in the process of identifying suitable engineering, design and construction firms to build the plant and expects to award a contract before year end.
The plant will be constructed in Australia before being shipped to Namibia for operation on Koppies resource ore at scale and on a continuous basis.
Namibian portfolio
Meanwhile, resource expansion and exploration is continuing at the Hirabeb, Namib IV, Capri and Marenica uranium projects within Elevate’s Namibian portfolio.
Current drilling at Hirabeb is testing the extent of basement-hosted mineralisation north and north-west of an October maiden resource that totalled 10.2 million pounds uranium oxide equivalent (eU3O8).
The mineralisation is 25 kilometres from the southern portion of the Koppies resource within the Koppies project.
The company has so far reported mineralised intersections 1.2km north of the resource area with best results of 1.5 metres at 292 parts per million eU3O8 from 9m and 2m at 545ppm eU3O8 from 25.5m.
Namib IV find
Exploration has recommenced at Namib IV, where drilling has identified a large area of continuous mineralisation 20km from the southern portion of the Koppies resource.
Significant intersections have included 3.5m at 2,053ppm eU3O8 from 3.5m, 18m at 267ppm eU3O8 from 10m and 1.5m at 1,110ppm eU3O8 from 0.5m.
Future infill drilling will focus on confirming a mineralised polygon, with the aim of delineating and reporting a maiden resource during 2025.
Elevate said additional resources delineated at Hirabeb and Namib IV will add to the total Koppies resource base and may extend the life of mine or allow an increased production rate at any future mining operation.
Capri drilling
The company has designed the drilling at the Capri tenement to “close-up” the distance between drill lines from between 800m and 2.5km apart to a nominal 200m.
Best intercepts to date include 4.5m at 942ppm eU3O8 from 7.5m, 7.5m at 270ppm eU3O8 from 3.5m and 3.5m at 438ppm eU3O8 from surface.
The program is aiming to better define the outline of the mineralisation and delineating a maiden resource in the new year.
Marenica resource
Work also commenced during the quarter at the Marenica project, situated 25km from Capri.
The program will focus on areas outside of the resource boundary.
Drilling of an exploration target south of the main MA7 deposit has identified some encouraging intersections with grades of up to 439ppm uranium oxide.