Standard Uranium Ltd (TSX-V:STND, OTCQB:STTDF, FRA:9SU0) Vice President Exploration Sean Hillacre talked with Proactive about the latest developments at the Rocas Project in the Athabasca Basin, where the company has just launched its first-ever drill program.
Hillacre explained that the Rocas Project, located just south of the Key Lake mine and mill facilities, is a basement-hosted uranium prospect under an option agreement with Collective Metals. The partner can earn up to a 75% interest through staged payments and exploration spending over three years.
The interview highlighted encouraging results from a 2025 prospecting program, which confirmed historical uranium grades and revealed additional upside.
Importantly, the company also identified high-grade rare earth element results, which provided new geological insights.
With geophysics already completed, Standard Uranium has begun a 1,200–1,500 metre drill program targeting shallow zones, with approximately six to eight holes planned. The campaign will test high-priority areas while incorporating newly defined targets from recent surface data.
The program marks a key milestone, as no previous drilling has been conducted on the project. Results from this campaign could provide important catalysts for future exploration.
Proactive: Welcome back inside our Proactive newsroom. Joining me now is Sean Hillacre, Vice President Exploration for Standard Uranium. Sean, good to see you again. How are you?
Sean Hillacre: Likewise. Survived PDAC, so we’re doing well.
Good to have you back. You’ve got a number of updates today around the Rocas Project in the Athabasca Basin. Can you remind us about the project and what work has been done?
The Rocas Project is one of our basement-hosted uranium prospects, about 4,000 hectares just south of the Key Lake mine and mill facilities. It’s under an option agreement with Collective Metals, which can earn up to 75% through payments and exploration over three years.
Our 2025 fall prospecting program was the first boots-on-the-ground work. Now we’ve just kicked off the first drill program ever on the project.
The grab samples returned strong results and helped define drill targets.
Yes, it was a pleasant surprise on the rare earth element side. We confirmed uranium grades of over 0.4%, close to historical results. While we’re targeting higher grades, seeing that at surface is encouraging.
We also saw high-grade rare earth elements, which helped refine and define new drill targets alongside our geophysics.
You’re planning 1,200 to 1,500 metres of drilling. How are you prioritizing targets?
These are shallow targets, less than a couple hundred metres, so we can test 6–8 holes. There’s never been drilling on this project, so integrating surface results with geophysics has strengthened our targeting.
We’ve slightly adjusted priorities and added new targets. Drilling is starting immediately.
Quotes have been lightly edited for style and clarity