VRX Silica (ASX:VRX) has lodged a mining lease application over 1,995 hectares across its Arrowsmith Brand Project near Perth in Western Australia.
The company states the application is in the final stages of the Department of Mines, Industry, Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) process, and VRX expects the grant in the near term.
Once the application has been granted, VRX plans to advance the project using the well-known process followed at the 3 other silica sand projects currently being ‘actively’ developed.
VRX states these activities include environmental surveys, further metallurgical testwork, marketing studies, and mine planning studies, which will inform Scoping and Prefeasibility Studies (PFS).
VRX states the decision to lodge a mining lease application at Arrowsmith Brand follows the production of a preliminary Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) at Brand.
The company says the new inferred resource of 523 million tonnes @ 97.3% silica oxide (SiO2) at Brand extends the resources at the Arrowsmith Project. This new resource for the project is contiguous and south of the Arrowsmith North Silica Sand Project and bounded to the south by the Brand Highway road reserve.
“The combined resources at the Arrowsmith Projects now provide a future pipeline of additional production utilising some of the infrastructure to be developed at the Arrowsmith North Project”
VRX Silica Managing Director Bruce Maluish says: “The combined resources at the Arrowsmith Projects now provide a future pipeline of additional production utilising some of the infrastructure to be developed at the Arrowsmith North Project.
Although development of Arrowsmith Brand is not a priority at the moment, VRX is conscious of the extended timelines that are now commonplace for mining approvals and notes this project has the potential to expand production to meet ever-increasing demand for silica sand products.
The silica sand at Brand is similar to Arrowsmith North, and testwork to date has included samples from within this resource and indicated similar products can be produced.”
VRX Silica is a pure-play silica sand company developing its wholly owned silicon sand projects at Arrowsmith North, Central and Brand, 270km north of Perth; the Muchea Project, located 50km north of Perth; and the Boyatup Project, located 100km east of Esperance in Western Australia.
Images: VRX Silica Ltd
