Cauldron Energy Ltd (ASX:CXU) (OTCMKTS:CAULF) (FRA:UFX) has committed to reducing its carbon footprint and achieving a target of having net zero carbon emissions across all of its projects and operations.
The company’s suite of projects is inherently energy efficient and provides a good head-start on its ability to reach these goals.
Cauldron is taking early steps to develop systems to reduce the carbon footprint of operations, both during the exploration phase and any potential production phase.
At this stage of development, the company’s operations are exploratory in nature, but may involve production at some future stage if the results of exploration prove favourable.
Economic fundamentals align with enviro goals
Chief executive officer Jess Oram said: “It is extraordinary when economic fundamentals of mining align with our environmental goals.
“This means there is very little cost in achieving the goal of net zero carbon emissions for our projects.
“In other words, the efficiency gains in mining uranium, for example, by in-situ recovery techniques underpin the economic fundamentals of the project in parallel with helping us reduce our carbon footprint and achieve the net zero carbon emissions target.”
To enhance this strategy, the company is engaging expert advice to help it reduce even further the energy requirements of its exploration and potential mining operations with the intention of reducing its carbon footprint.
ISR advantages at Bennet Well
At the Bennet Well Uranium Project geological and physical characteristics of mineralisation have been used to develop an exploration model proven to accurately predict the occurrence of uranium mineralisation.
The efficacy of this exploration model reduces the work and therefore the energy requirements needed to be successful explorers.
In 2017 Cauldron announced the results of column leach tests completed by CSIRO, showing mineralisation to have extremely favourable leaching characteristics.
The combination of favourable leaching, stratigraphic setting and the association between sedimentary host and mineral species defines Bennet Well as a sandstone-style uranium system.
This style of deposit point to the possibility of extraction by the in-situ recovery (ISR) mining system.
Field leach trials designed to define the economic parameters of mining Bennet Well by ISR were planned as the second stage of the CSIRO study, but have yet to be completed.
Mining by ISR is inherently energy efficient because it does not involve blasting, digging, trucking and milling processes usually involved in mining most deposits.
In addition to the energy advantage of mining by ISR, there is no requirement to build the waste and tailings handling systems required to handle the by-products of mining.
Sandstone-style uranium deposits mined by ISR have the lowest cost quartile of any deposit in production globally, because of the energy and capital efficiencies involved in mining, milling and construction.
This style of potential production gives CXU a head-start in minimising its carbon footprint.
Blackwood Gold Project
The geological and environmental conditions of mineralisation at the Blackwood Gold Project in Central Victoria requires a narrow vein hand-held mining approach.
Cauldron is completing all exploration activity with this potential mining style as its over-arching strategy.
If the exploration is successful, the mining operation may proceed on a non-mechanised basis thus reducing the carbon footprint of operation.
This style of potential production also gives CXU a head-start in minimising its carbon footprint.
Western Australian sands project
Cauldron recently announced the acquisition of several exploration licences, an exploration licence application and a mining lease on three river mouths along the West Australian coast.
This acquisition is subject to satisfaction of several conditions precedent which are yet to complete.
The geological and physical characteristics of the construction sands projects is such that there is the potential ability to reduce the transport requirements of shipping and thus improve the economic fundamentals of the potential mining process.
This style of potential production gives CXU another head-start in minimising its carbon footprint.