PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Coal developer Atrum Coal could consider an accelerated development at its Elan coal project, in Alberta, in Canada, after adding a further 201-million tonne of resource to the project.
The ASX-listed Atrum noted that a total Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resource of 201-million tonnes, of which 39-million tonnes were classified as indicated and 162-million tonnes as inferred, had been estimated at the northern Elan tenements.
This resource was in addition to the 97-million-tonne resource recently estimated at the Elan South deposit, bringing the Elan project’s total resource to 298-million tonnes, and confirming the project to possess large, high quality, hard coking coal deposits that warranted accelerated progression, Atrum said.
“The combined 201-million tonnes of indicated and inferred resource at the northern Elan tenements, in addition to the 97-million tonnes of indicated and inferred resource at Elan South, confirms that the Elan project holds substantial hard coking coal resources,” said Atrum non-executive chairperson Charles Blixt.
“We are equally excited by the results of the coal quality review on historical testwork programmes, indicating the coal from the northern Elan tenements is capable of producing high saleable yield, low sulphur, hard coking coal. These results further validate Atrum’s vision of developing the Elan project into a multi-mine premium hard coking coal operation, with development of Elan South targeted first.”
Atrum is now planning an expanded exploration programme in key strategic areas of the Elan project for the 2019 field season.