Orion Minerals has been granted two additional prospecting rights (PR) for its Okiep Copper Project (OCP) in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
These rights encircle the existing Flat Mines Mining Right on which Orion is currently finalising its Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) for Flat Mine North, Flat Mine East and Flat Mine South.
“We are thrilled to have secured the grant of these prospecting rights following a three-year administrative process,” said Orion managing director and chief executive Errol Smart.
“Orion’s recent purchase of surface rights over some of the area covering these prospecting rights finally resolved the impasse for surface access and environmental approvals. This now allows Orion to finally access this highly prospective ground, where we have already used high-quality historical Goldfields and Newmont drill data to estimate and declare JORC compliant Mineral Resources.”
He said the prospecting rights also contain some of its highest priority greenfields exploration targets in the district, where the company’s 2021 SkyTEMTM heliborne electromagnetic survey revealed strong conductors both on the prospecting rights and straddling the boundary with its Flat Mines Mining Right.
“We are immediately mobilising ground geophysics crews and deploying drilling rigs to test some of the targets that we have not been able to access until now,” said Smart.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
