Tivan (ASX:TVN) is nearing completion of a two-year drilling program at its Speewah Fluorite Project in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
The company has drilled 12,809m in 2026 under its stage two program, with a further 1,275m planned for October. Combined with previous campaigns, total drilling will reach about 37,000m.
Stage two has focused on infill drilling to support an updated mineral resource estimate (MRE) and maiden ore reserve estimate, alongside metallurgical drilling for process flowsheet engineering.
Speewah hosts a JORC Code (2012) MRE of 43.2 million tonnes (Mt) at 8.30% calcium fluoride (CaF2) for 3.6Mt contained CaF2, including a ‘high-grade’ component of 9.6Mt @ 20.6% CaF2 for 2Mt.
SRK Consulting will prepare the updated MRE and maiden ore reserve estimate, on schedule for November 2026 ahead of the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) and final investment decision.
Executive Chairman Grant Wilson says the finish line is in sight for the geology team.
“This has been a formative journey for our young company, delivering a multi-disciplinary campaign that ranks among the top ten by metres drilled for any critical minerals project in Australia,” Wilson adds.
“We are on track to deliver a further mineral resource estimate shortly, that will be integrated into our definitive feasibility study, enabling a maiden ore reserve to be defined at Speewah.”
Following completion, Tivan’s geology team will redeploy to Timor-Leste, where a regional drone magnetic survey is under way ahead of maiden drilling in late October.
The company has also slated a maiden reverse circulation program at Walshy’s Wall in Central Australia.
Tivan is progressing Speewah through an incorporated joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation (TYO:8053) and the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC).
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Main image: Tivan
