Premier releases new Zulu SAMREC-compliant MRE

George Roach

AIM-listed mining and exploration company Premier African Minerals has released a new SAMREC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) on its wholly-owned Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Project.

The South African Code for the Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources, and Mineral Reserves (the SAMREC Code or the Code) sets out minimum standards, recommendations, and guidelines for Public Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources, and Mineral Reserves in South Africa.

According to Premier CEO George Roach, the MRE is concerned with those areas of the Zulu tenements that are expected to be mined and processed through the present plant only and excludes the greater exclusive prospecting order (EPO) area.

He said the MRE estimates lithium (Li2O) that is contained in spodumene, specifically Li2O that is attributable to spodumene at 107,366 tonnes, and the direct conversion of the contained Li2O to spodumene concentrate 6 (SC6) is 1,789,433 tonnes. Roach also said that the MRE estimates that the ore body contains 1,045,908 kg of tantalum (Ta2O5).

The Premier CEO said ongoing Mineral Resource development drilling to identify extensions to the current MRE and thereto have the potential to add additional Mineral Resources is ongoing.

“This MRE supports the development of the Zulu mine on an expedited basis. It underlines our confidence in the medium and long-term future of this mine and further supports our view that Zulu has the standalone potential to develop a Lithium Sulphate plant. Work continues in the greater EPO area, and we have now identified areas of future potential mineralization and secured those areas in the longer term under new mineral claims.

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“It is worth noting that this MRE is based on an assumed 80% of the total Li2O grade of the ore body being attributable to the SQI dominant style of mineralization, which is conservative in our opinion, and ongoing analysis of the mineral assemblage may support an increase in this percentage with potential increases in the contained spodumene. We have previously set out our expectation that Zulu is likely to produce spodumene concentrates with low iron and higher spodumene concentrate grades.

“Accordingly, we expect to receive a premium for spodumene concentrates produced at Zulu, and this further supports our determination to bring this plant into production now. While we do not have the ability to recover tantalite at present, relatively minor plant additions that are under consideration are expected to see production of Ta2O5 concentrate in the future.

“At the same time, I am pleased to note the arrival at the site of all plant components and, in particular, the arrival and installation of the new ball mill. Assembly is expected to be complete within the next few weeks. Optimization of the sorters is ongoing, and we expect the overall plant to be back in production during February 2024,” he said.

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