GTI Energy Ltd (ASX:GTR, OTC:GTRIF) is making progress with planning for the 2024 field season at its uranium projects in Wyoming, USA, and permitting is on track for drilling programs expected to take place later this year.
At Lo Herma, a drilling permit amendment is progressing with the intention of optimising follow-up drilling which is being planned for Q3 of 2024.
This will incorporate increasing the number of drill holes and the construction of monitoring wells for groundwater data collection.
Lo Herma MRE update
The drilling results will also be used for an update to the Lo Herma mineral resource estimate (MRE) and exploration target, which is scheduled for the December quarter of 2024.
At Green Mountain, maiden drilling is planned this year with permitting underway after the company completed an airborne geophysical survey to help refine the previously planned drilling.
The now updated plan includes 16 potential drill holes targeting 12 miles of anomalous radiometric signature, which has been correlated with historical Kerr McGee drill hole maps.
Expanded drilling plan
GTI has permits in place for 42 holes at Lo Herma, however, a review of drilling in December 2023 has helped it refine and expand the planned 2024 program to include 71 drill hole locations and construction of up to five groundwater monitoring wells.
The next phase of exploration will focus on expanding the resource areas and where possible, upgrading the mineral resource classification.
Collection of important data including hydrogeologic parameters of the mineralised aquifers and the collection of rock core samples for metallurgical testing will be also prioritised.
GTI intends to mobilise drilling rigs as soon as the activity is fully permitted and environmental clearances are finalised with drilling expected to begin at Lo Herma during July 2024.
The company expects that the subsequent updated MRE will support near-term development of a scoping study to demonstrate the economic potential of the project.
Green Mountain drilling
The planned drill program at Green Mountain will test the validity of historical Kerr McGee drill hole maps, as well as the interpreted mineralised regions as determined from the airborne geophysical survey.
A ‘Class I Cultural Resource Report’ and site Environmental Review have been completed with both of incorporated into the planning of the drill program.
Final on-site review of access will be completed as weather allows after which GTI will file the Drilling Notification.
The company will make a final decision to proceed once reclamation bonding is approved by Wyoming’s DEQ & the Federal BLM.
Utah evaluations
Meantime, GTI is evaluating its uranium/vanadium projects in Utah to determine potential paths for renewed exploration, resource development or other value-creating activities.
These are considered suitable for conventional mining and are on the east flank of the Henry Mountains, covering 3,860 acres.
The permits host historical production and open underground workings and have an exploration permit in place.
These projects saw significant work from 2019 to 2021 including two drill programs totalling 52 drill holes and geophysical logging of an additional 76 historical drill holes.
GTI subsequently elected to prioritise work at its newly acquired Wyoming ISR projects until such time as activity and investment in the region improved.
The projects are within ~100 miles of Energy Fuels White Mesa Mill and within a few miles of Anfield Energy’s Shootaring (Ticaboo) mill site. The owners of both of these mills are pursuing mill re-starts.
In addition, Western Uranium & Vanadium Corp. (CSE:WUC, OTCQX:WSTRF) has announced the purchase of a mill site in Green River Utah and work to design and permit the facility for processing uranium and vanadium.
This plant, which will be ~80 miles from GTI’s projects, is intended to process feed from Western's recently restarted Sunday Mine Complex more than 160 miles away.
Western recently stated the new mineral processing plant will recover uranium, vanadium and cobalt from ore from Western's mines and that produced by other miners.