Anson Resources Ltd (ASX:ASN) has submitted a Plan of Operations to the US Federal Government's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the re-entry of two additional wells, Sunburst and Mineral Canyon, within the Paradox Brine Project area in Utah, USA.
The goal of the re-entry program is to convert part of the inferred resource/exploration target to an indicated resource in the area around the Sunburst and Mineral Canyon wells.
Brine from these wells will be sampled and tested for several minerals including lithium, bromine, Iodine and boron concentrations in clastic horizons 17, 19, 29 and 31.
This program will also support stage three of the project, the expansion of the NaBr plant and addition of a commercial lithium plant.
PoO under consideration
The completion of the environmental, land and cultural surveys was the final step in the preparation of the Plan of Operations which is now being considered by the BLM.
While the BLM does not provide estimates for the completion of its considerations, based upon recent approval periods, Anson expects that it will be completed by quarter two of 2021.
Sunburst well
The Sunburst well is within 20 metres from the paved Island In The Sky Road, around 2 kilometres from the existing pipeline corridor, that could be used to transport brine from the Paradox claims area to the planned processing plant at Blue Hills.
Anson recently visited the area and identified that the well location is clearly marked and that the drill pad that would be required for the re-entry program, can be readily re-established.
Mineral Canyon well
Mineral Canyon is around 50 metres from Canyon Bottom Road, a graded gravel county road and about 300 metres from the existing pipeline corridor.
The original drill pad remains visible and can be re-established for the re-entry program once the plan has been approved.
The Sunburst and Mineral Canyon wells are in the south-western area of the Paradox project claims.
Stage one development
Development of the Paradox Brine Project remains the main focus of the company’s activities and preparatory work is progressing on a pre-feasibility study (PFS) for the development of the stage-one, 15,000 tonnes per annum sodium bromide (NaBr) plant.
Anson has recently received a draft of the lease agreement for the proposed production area, the Blue Hills site, and is continuing work for the development of infrastructure to support the stage one plant.
While the Plan of Operation is being assessed, the company is developing low-cost exploration programs for its other projects.