Boss Resources has released an update on its restart strategy at the Honeymoon uranium project in South Australia, 80km northwest of Broken Hill.
Managing director Duncan Craib said the company was on track to complete a definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the project following the publication of positive infill drilling results and development of the its optimisation program.
“We have a fantastic team of experts working for us across all key areas at this crucial stage, including several team members that were involved with the plant when it was previously operating,” he said.
“I have no doubt their expertise will prove invaluable to the company as we advance towards phase two early in 2019, which will begin with the updated mineral resource estimate, followed by the wellfield design activities.”
Boss Resources gained 100 per cent of the project as part of a $17 million acquisition of Wattle Mining last year. The mine went into care and maintenance in 2013.
The project’s ongoing optimisation program is focusing on ion exchange piloting, nano-filtration for sodium chloride recovery, uranium precipitation, and leaching testwork and verification (including in-situ leach oxidant testing).
Phase one activities are expected to be completed by January 2019. Phase two of the restart strategy will begin following the publication of an updated mineral resource estimate.
The Honeymoon project set a record late last year when results from field leach trialling (FLT) returned peak grades of 377 milligrams of uranium per litre (377mg/l) before eventually settling at 200–250mg/l.