Aim- and TSX-V-listed African mining royalty generator Altus Strategies has reached key milestones in the development of its 100%-owned Agdz silver/copper project in Morocco.

The 59.7 km² Agdz project, which comprises four contiguous licence blocks in the Souss-Massa-Drâa region of the Anti-Atlas mountains of central Morocco, is located in a highly-prospective region for copper and silver.

The project is also located about 35 km east of the city of Ouarzazate, where infrastructure and services are of a high standard. The Noor 1 solar station, which is the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant, with a planned output of 580 MW, is located about 40 km northwest of Agdz.

The project is accessed by a paved road and a network of unpaved roads and vehicle tracks close to and within the licence area.

The company has received environmental-impact assessment (EIA) approval for the project from the Ministry of Interior, Administrator of the Draa Tafilalet Region and Regional Centre of Investment.

The EIA, which was completed in the first quarter by an independent Moroccan environmental consultancy, specifies the baseline environmental conditions and details to be met by the company at the project and represents a key milestone in the process of converting the current exploration licence into a mining licence, says Altus CE Steven Poulton.

The approval is valid for five years and is renewable thereafter. Attainment of the approval of an EIA is a key milestone for the granting of a future mining licence and to undertaking mining activities thereafter.

NEW TARGET IDENTIFIED

Separate to this, Altus has been working in partnership with the University of Orléans and France-based geological survey, the BRGM, in France, to generate new targets based on cutting-edge predictive mapping techniques.

Analysis was undertaken on all surface data compiled by Altus to date, including surface rock and trench results, mapping data and gamma spectrometry and ground magnetic survey results. A number of broad targets were identified from the study, namely the Amzwaro, Makarn, Minière and Daoud prospects.

One of the priority targets that the work defined is a 1-km-long, northeast-striking priority target in the vicinity of the Makarn prospect, where sampling by the company has yielded multiple high-grade silver and copper results, including 448 g/t of silver and 8% copper from outcrop.

“This target will be the next priority for our field team to assess, along with the Minière prospect, where sampling of spoil from historic mine shafts, adits and exploratory pits has returned grades of up to 13% copper,” concludes Poulton.