Australia-based exploration and development company Uranex is on track to complete its planned 20-hole reverse-circulation (RC) and diamond drilling programme at the Songea coal project in December.

Several coal seam intersections from the third and fourth holes drilled in the maiden programme have further confirmed the presence of coal within the Lumecha coalfield, in Tanzania, the miner reports.

RC chip samples will be sent to Johannesburg, in South Africa, for an indicative suite of coal analyses, with results expected in December. Following the completion of the initial RC programme, a diamond drillhole will be undertaken to obtain high-quality samples for a comprehensive suite of coal analyses in Brisbane, Australia, with these results expected in January next year.

Last month, the company started a 3 000 m drilling programme at Songea to test the presence, extent and quality of coal within the Lumecha coalfield.

The programme, interpreted to extend between 250 km2 and 300 km2, aims to obtain early indications of the potential resource structure as well as quality data.

Further coal drilling results will be reported as these become available with the current drill programme expected to be complete by early December.

The Songea coal project covers 2 606 km2 and is located in the Ruhuhu basin, known for large tonnages of high-quality thermal coal with published resources exceeding one-billion tons.

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