Tivan has kicked off the first phase of drilling at its Speewah fluorite project in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The announcement follows Tivan commencing ground-disturbing works at Speewah last month, which was carried out to facilitate the phased drill plan. Tivan’s drill plan includes exploration, resource extension, metallurgical testwork, geotechnical and hydrogeological drilling.
The first phase of drilling will prioritise metallurgical testwork drilling. Tivan has up to 11 diamond drill holes planned across the existing Speewah resource to provide core sampling for further testwork as part of the project’s next stage of development and resource management.
The metallurgical testwork is expected to provide critical data on ore characteristics and will be used to provide ongoing assurance of ore quality, ensuring Speewah’s operational efficiency and attainment of product specifications.
“Tivan is delighted to have commenced the drill campaign at the [Speewah] project well ahead of the arrival of the wet season,” Tivan executive chairman Grant Wilson said.
“With the ongoing support of DDH1 and Ngarranggarni Civil and Mining, we are making excellent progress. The timely commencement of the drill campaign is highly supportive of our project schedule and has been well received by Sumitomo Corporation, our strategic alliance partner for the Speewah fluorite project.”
Speewah’s pre-feasibility study, which was released in July, said the project is expected to be a world-class fluorite resource in size, grade and location, with over 10 years of mine life.
Fluorite is used to produce commercial grade fluorspar products and fluorine. There is currently no domestic fluorspar or fluorine production in Australia, but Tivan is looking to become the first. The Federal Government added fluorine to the critical minerals list in December 2023.
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