Curnamona Energy Limited (ASX code : “CUY”) today announced...

Curnamona Energy Limited (ASX code : “CUY”) today announced plans for a trial treatment plant which could lead to another in-situ leach uranium operation in South Australia.

If the proposed trial plant proves successful, Curnamona says it could easily be scaled up to a small commercial uranium mining operation able to produce up to 40 tonne of yellowcake per annum.
Details of the trials and proposed plant were contained in an announcement by Curnamona today that it had applied for a Mineral Claim over the Oban project, 60 kilometres north of the Honeymoon uranium deposit.
If approved, the claim will allow installation and commissioning of the trial treatment plant by the second half of this year.
“The Oban uranium deposit lies in the deeply buried sands of an ancient river channel,” Curnamona Chairman, Dr Bob Johnson, said today.
“As such, it should be amenable to low cost in-situ leach (ISL) extraction methods similar to Honeymoon, which is in development, or the highly successful Beverley ISL uranium operation to the northwest ” Dr Johnson said.
“Our drilling late last year at Oban identified several leads including one particularly well mineralised area covering more than 100,000 square metres.
“The value of uranium indicated by the drillhole gamma logging in this small area is more than A$70 million at current spot uranium prices,($93.00)US with the potential for a tenfold increase in the immediate vicinity. If the trials are successful, Oban can quickly become a small commercial mine.”