Orion expects updated Prieska resource estimate by mid-December, BFS by Q2 2019

15th October 2018 By: Marleny Arnoldi - Deputy Editor Online

ASX- and JSE-listed Orion Minerals will publish an updated resource estimate for its Prieska zinc/copper project, in the Areachap Belt in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, in mid-December, which will underpin a bankable feasibility study (BFS) that is set for completion in the second quarter 2019.

The Prieska deep sulphide drill-out programme has been completed, with 85 424 m drilled since May 2017. At times during the drilling programme, up to 18 surface diamond drill rigs were deployed at once.

Orion completed 87 intersections to in-fill drill and completed twin historical drilling on 15 intersections for metallurgical sampling.

The drilling programme was successful in confirming excellent continuity of the massive sulphide zinc/copper mineralisation, while identifying areas where the resource remains open down-dip and along strike, with potential to add to the current resource.

All core samples have been submitted to ALS Chemex Laboratories for analysis. The deep sulphide mineral resource will be updated once all assay results are returned in two months’ time.

“The completion of this major drilling programme is a huge achievement and a really important milestone for Orion on our journey to become a substantial new base metal producer in South Africa,”  Orion MD and CEO Errol Smart commented on Monday.