Less than a week after securing a Major Project Status designation for its Northern silica project, Diatreme Resources has significantly increased the mineral resource for its Si2 deposit.
Situated adjacent to the Port of Cape Flattery, Diatreme believes Si2 is well positioned to supply high-purity silica to meet growing demand for uses such as solar energy applications.
The measured category of the Si2 mineral resource has jumped from 49.5 million tonnes (Mt) to 187.5Mt, representing a 278 per cent increase. The total mineral resource stands at 272.5Mt of silica sand, indicating a 16 per cent increase.
Diatreme said the MRE upgrade for the Si2 deposit provides the foundation for an ore reserve estimation and a pre-feasibility study (PFS), which will include mine schedule optimisation and mine design.
The PFS will consider a 25-year life of mine operation supporting a 3–5 million tonnes per annum production rate.
“This major resource upgrade reinforces the outstanding potential of our Northern silica project,” Diatreme chief executive officer Neil McIntyre said.
“We’ve more than confirmed the scale and purity needed to support a long-life mining operation targeting photovoltaic silica markets. With permitting and testwork underway, and a PFS next on the agenda, we’re building the foundations for an exciting new silica sand supply chain out of Cape York with decades of mine life.”
Looking ahead, Diatreme will focus on securing environmental permitting for the Northern silica project, with detailed impact and mitigation assessments underway.
These will be part of the project’s environmental impact statement, which is targeting its final submission for the third quarter of 2025 under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to gain approval for NSP as a ‘controlled action’.
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