Emerging exploration and development company Golden Deeps (ASX:GED) reports it has encountered ‘exceptionally high-grade’ battery metal concentrates up to 15.6% following gravity testwork at its Abenab Project in Namibia.
The results, generated by testwork conducted on a bulk sample of the Abenab vanadium-zinc-lead (V2O5-Zn-Pb) resource, represent an 18x upgrade of the representative drill core composite sample, which returned an assay head grade of 0.9% V2O5, 2.1% Pb, and 0.7% Zn.
In addition, the results bring the company closer in its goal of producing high-value vanadium with zinc, lead and copper products for renewable energy storage and electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
The ‘high-grade’ concentrate grades returned from the Abenab testwork include 15.6% V2O5, 11.2% Zn, 38.2% Pb, and 0.8% copper (Cu).
Golden Deeps notes the upgrade factor is above the targeted multiple of 15x and that the concentrate grades share similarities to historical grades returned from the Abenab Mine, which was known as the world’s richest and largest known deposit of vanadate ore. The mine is reported to have produced up to 176,000t of ‘high-grade’ 16% V2O5, 13% Zn, 42% Pb concentrate from the 1920s to the 1950s.
Furthermore, the company says the final concentrate sample is being held prior to about 1kg of the sample being dispatched for downstream hydrometallurgical testwork.
Speaking on the results, Golden Deeps Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jon Dugdale says: “The outstanding vanadium plus zinc, lead and copper concentrate grades produced from testwork on the Abenab deposit represent a major breakthrough for the company.
“The outstanding vanadium plus zinc, lead and copper concentrate grades produced from testwork on the Abenab deposit represent a major breakthrough for the company”
The testwork results open the door to replicating the process for the Nosib discovery and then completing downstream hydrometallurgical testwork to produce high-value battery metals products for the rapidly growing renewable energy battery storage industries globally.”
The company also notes that it has uncovered ‘high-grade’ Cu, V2O5 and Pb mineralisation at the Nosib Block Project located about 20km to the southwest of Abenab and presents an opportunity for Golden Deeps to develop an integrated mining and two-stage processing project for both Abenab and Nosib.
Metallurgical and mineralogical testwork is currently being conducted on the ‘high-grade’ bulk-samples at Nosib and indicates the dominant ore mineral mottramite, which represents a copper-rich end-member of the descloizite group and is expected to respond well to gravity concentration.
It is believed the results of the initial metallurgical testwork will deliver cost information for open pit optimisation work on a preliminary Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) model generated by South African-based company Shango Solutions.
The company adds that open-pit optimisation is currently being conducted by Bara Consulting and is close to finalisation. It is Golden Deeps’ belief that the completion of open-pit optimisation will allow the finalisation of the maiden MRE for the Nosib deposit and will also provide initial mining production targets for a planned Scoping Study.
As of 8am AWST Golden Deeps’ share price had increased by 9.999%.
Golden Deeps is an ASX-listed company that is focused on the exploration and development of copper and vanadium projects in the world-class Otavi Mountain Land copper district of Namibia. The company’s key projects within this world-class tenure are the Abenab and Nosib projects, which are both being actively explored to produce and deliver critical materials to the renewable energy storage and EV battery markets.
Images: Golden Deeps Ltd
