PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Energia Minerals will investigate the reconfiguration of its Gorno zinc project, in Italy, following an increase of the project’s resource estimate.

Energia on Wednesday reported that an in-fill drilling programme had more than doubled the indicated resource at the Colonna Zorzone deposit, to two-million tonnes, grading 4.9% zinc, 1.3% lead and 31 g/t silver, with the total Colonna Zorzone resource now at 3.3-million tonnes, grading 4.8% zinc, 1.3% lead and 27 g/t silver.

The company noted that given the proximity of these resource tonnes to the existing underground infrastructure, including the rehabilitated Forcella tunnel, which Energia has used as its primary access to the mine to date, the company would evaluate establishing a smaller-scale processing facility, using this existing access.

While more time was required to make the assessment, the revised development approach had the potential to deliver a number of strategic benefits, Energia said. The simpler development plan would mean a shorter timeframe to production and a reduced up-front capital cost.

Energia has been undertaking a definitive feasibility study (DFS) at the Gorno project, which was due for completion in late May.

MD Kim Robinson said that work would start to evaluate the alternative project configuration, building on the work already completed as part of the DFS.

“The overarching desire of our board and management team, major shareholders and local authorities, is to advance the Gorno project to production as quickly as possible in order to take advantage of the string zinc price outlook,” Robinson said.

“We have identified what we believe is an effective strategy to reconfigure the project based on a development scenario for the current resource estimate, which could deliver important advantages.”