Junior explorer Cobre (ASX:CBE) has begun drilling for a hydrogeological test study on the Ngami Copper Project in the Kalahari Copper Belt in Botswana.
The $16.35 million market capitalisation company has designed the program to provide ‘essential’ information to demonstrate the viability of an In-Situ Copper Recovery (ISCR) process for extraction of copper-silver from the ‘significant’ strike of mineralisation.
Cobre Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adam Wooldridge says the testwork results are critical for the company’s ISCR journey on the Ngami project.
“If proven successful, applying ISCR to extract the copper and silver mineralisation will present an ideal, low Capex, and environmentally friendly method for producing copper cathode on-site.”
“If proven successful, applying ISCR to extract the copper and silver mineralisation will present an ideal, low Capex, and environmentally friendly method for producing copper cathode on-site”
The testwork will be undertaken in 2 phases, with phase one being a short-term single well pumping and injecting test providing insight into the injection feasibility before the start of the more comprehensive follow-on stage.
Phase two is a long-term 2-well pumping and injection test designed to evaluate the aquifer characteristics at 2 locations over a longer period.
Both phases of work are expected to be completed in Q1 2024. The company says the results will be made available as the program progresses.
The results will provide ‘valuable’ insights into aquifer permeability, anisotropy, extent, and preferential groundwater flow directions, enhancing the overall understanding of the hydrogeological system and testing the viability of an in-situ recovery program.
WSP Australia has been engaged to provide oversight and modelling of the pumping-injecting test results.
Cobre is an ASX-listed emerging resources explorer with prospective projects in Botswana and Western Australia. The company has discovered ‘high-grade’ copper, gold, silver, and zinc prospective projects.
As of 30 September 2023, the company had $3.573 million cash and cash equivalents at hand, according to its latest quarterly report.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Cobre Limited
