Name of the Project
Honeymoon uranium project.

Location
South Australia.

Client
Boss Resources.

Project Description
A prefeasibility study (PFS) has confirmed the technical and financial robustness of the Honeymoon project.

The project has a total mineral resource of 43.5-million tonnes grading 660 parts per million of uranium oxide (U₃O₈).

Based on the mineral resources located within the mining lease, and incorporating a small portion of the mineral resources associated with the exploration leases (Jasons and Gould’s Dam), an initial seven-year life-of-mine has been developed, with a maximum production of 3.2-million pounds a year after the construction of Stage 3.

A staged development approach has been adopted to derisk the project, define the wellfield operations and progressively increase the processing plant capacity.

The study is based on restarting the operation using existing facilities (modified to achieve nameplate capacity), in conjunction with the construction of the first stage of the ion-exchange (IX) plant. After successfully ramping up and verifying the new process, a further ion-exchange upgrade is planned.

Stage 1 aims to restart the existing operation, which will involve the use of existing wellfields and restarting the existing solvent-extraction (SX) plant, with minor modifications to rectify identified operational issues, during the period of construction of the IX plant.

Stage 2 will ramp up the plant’s capacity from 880 000 lb of U₃O₈ equivalent to two-million pounds a year of U₃O₈ equivalent using the combined SX/IX system.

Stage 3 envisages the ramp-up of plant capacity from two-million pounds a year of U3O8 equivalent to 3.2-million pounds a year of U₃O₈ equivalent (after validating the IX technology) through the addition of further IX columns. Stage 3 may include Gould’s Dam.

Jobs to Be Created
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
Stage 1 will require an investment of $10.2-million, Stage 2 $57.59-million and Stage 3 $77.93-million.

Duration
Stage 1 production is planned to start in 2018, Stage 2 production in the first half of 2019 and Stage 3 production the second half of 2020.

Latest Developments
Based on the strong results of the PFS, Boss Resources has resolved to progress to the next stage of development – the field leach trial, which will form part of the definitive feasibility study.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Boss Resources, tel +61 8 6143 6730 or 
email admin@bossresources.com.au.