Aurora Energy Metals (ASX:1AE) plans to continue uranium Scoping Study work during the December 2023 quarter, including an ongoing metallurgical testwork program at ALS Metallurgy in Perth.
The company will also conduct further mining and infrastructure-related trade-off studies. Project permitting will advance during the quarter with the planned completion of a biological survey.
The $22.38 million market capitalisation company dedicated Q3 2023 to de-risking its namesake project in southern Oregon within the US as the uranium market continues to tighten and the spot price moves up.
In its latest quarterly report, released today (11 October 2023), Aurora says it has begun a scoping-level uranium metallurgical testwork program at ALS Metallurgy.
The program will focus on beneficiation and leach testwork and optimisation to enable flowsheet development, design and costing for a Scoping Study at the Aurora Energy Metals Project (AEMP).
Aurora hopes results will inform future decision-making pertaining to Prefeasibility Study (PFS) and then Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) level testwork programs.
There is also potential for a ‘significant’ beneficiation step that could reduce capital and operating costs at the project.
Meanwhile, Aurora says project de-risking is ongoing, with permitting being advanced through ongoing engagement with the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the exploration plan of operations, as well as the completion of a cultural survey and the imminent start of a maiden biological survey.
These surveys will be undertaken over the next 9 months.
Aurora Energy Metals is scheduled to exhibit at the upcoming International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) held in Sydney from 31 October to 2 November 2023. Mining.com.au is an official media partner of IMARC, which will showcase 500-plus mining leaders and resource experts throughout 7 concurrent conferences.
Aurora Energy Metals is a uranium explorer and developer focused on its wholly owned namesake project located in the US.
The project currently has the largest mineable measured and indicated uranium deposit in the US, with a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 107.3 million tonnes (Mt) @ 214 parts per million (ppm) triuranium octoxide (U3O8) for 50.6 million pounds (Mlbs) U3O8.
Aurora Energy Metals had $3.023 million cash and cash equivalents at hand as of 30 September 2023 and no debt, according to the quarterly report.
Write to Adam Drought at Mining.com.au
Images: Aurora Energy Metals
