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PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) has reported a slight increase in resources for its Ranger 3 Deeps mine, in the Northern Territory.
The miner said on Wednesday that with some 95% of the revised underground drilling programme now complete, the resource model was estimated to host 12.2-million tonnes, grading 0.285% uranium oxide (U3O8), for 34 761 t of U3O8.
This was compared with the previously reported estimate of 11.9-million tonnes, grading 0.274% U3O8, for 32 620 t of contained U3O8.
ERA told shareholders that it had completed 219 underground drill holes for 46 104 m of drilling, with some 10 718 samples submitted for geological analysis. The final mineral resource estimate was scheduled for completion by the end of the fourth quarter this year, following the completion of the drilling programme in the third quarter.
Furthermore, prefeasibility-level mine plans were being developed in line with the updated resource model and would be completed by the end of the fourth quarter.
The prefeasibility study was scheduled to go before the company’s board in the first quarter of next year.