Aura continues to progress its Tiris uranium project towards a final investment decision in 2023 with the engagement of engineering consultants.

ASX listed DRA Global (ASX:DRA) and it’s subsidiary SENET will serve as lead engineering integrator while Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec (WGA) will work with Adelaide Control Engineering (ACE) as specialist engineers for design and delivery of modular processing circuits for Phase 1 of the project’s key front-end engineering design (FEED) study.

Phase 1 of the FEED study will focus on engineering optimisation with the aim of maintaining low capital and operating expenditure with the addition of a vanadium by-product recovery circuit.

Aura Energy (ASX:AEE) expects this phase to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year while the more rigorous Phase 2 is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2023 to support the final investment decision for the initial 800,000lb per annum of U3O8 production at Tiris starting in 2024.

FEED study work is being carried out concurrently with ongoing drilling to update resources in the fourth quarter and cost estimates for an expansion in uranium production to between 3Mlb and 5Mlb early in Tiris’ mine-life.

“We are very pleased to have appointed and formed a fit-for-purpose engineering team for the FEED Study, as this represents a significant milestone in advancing Tiris to initial uranium production,” acting chief executive officer Dr Will Goodall said.

“The work will focus on engineering optimisation opportunities with the aim of maintaining or even reducing the already low Tiris CAPEX of US$74.8m and will also seek to identify opportunities to reduce the OPEX of the Project.

“We look forward to working with DRA Global, and SENET, with its significant experience in West African project delivery, as well as WGA and ACE, which bring highly specialised engineering skills and experience in modular plants to design and deliver the uranium and vanadium processing circuits.”

Screening to upgrade ore

The appointment of engineering consultants comes just a week after the company reported pilot scale testing found that simple screening could reduce the amount of material mass reporting to the leaching circuit by 80%.

This material, which still contains about 90% of the uranium at 1,572 parts per million U3O8 – an increase of about 550% from the mined grade –  has confirmed rapid uranium extraction of over 95% when subjected to bulk leach testing by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

For Aura, the two findings are expected to result in a smaller, more efficient leach circuit with lower capital and operating costs.

 

 

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Aura Energy, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.