Elevate Uranium to ship U-pgrade pilot plant to Namibia

• Elevate’s U-pgrade™ demonstration pilot plant is due to complete final factory testing this week ahead of shipping to Namibia
• Pilot operations will process at least 60t of uranium material for a period of four to five months 
• The company’s senior metallurgist is relocating to Namibia to oversee operations 

Special Report: Elevate Uranium has entered a transformative stage in its U-pgrade™ beneficiation process with final factory testing of a pilot plant nearing completion and shipment to Namibia on track for early August.  

The demonstration plant is expected to arrive in Namibia in October and upon arrival, will be reassembled and begin operation during November. 

Elevate’s (ASX:EL8) senior metallurgist Andrew Jones will relocate from Perth to Namibia to oversee the plant’s arrival, reassembly and operation. 

The plant is designed to confirm the U-pgrade™ beneficiation process at a scalable size while operating on a continuous basis. 

This trial is expected to demonstrate the U-pgrade™ process and its technical applicability for commercialisation via the processing of 60t of uranium material. 

The U-pgrade™ process – developed in-house using ore from Elevate’s 61Mlb Marenica project in Namibia – reduces ore mass by 95% prior to the leaching phase and provides a potential 50% capex and opex reduction compared to conventional processes. 

Leaching is often the highest unit cost operation of any uranium processing facility and lowering the mass to be leached has a major impact on the overall cost structure. 

The outcome? A low-mass, high-grade uranium concentrate. 

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Technical studies to begin during operation 

EL8 managing director Murray Hill said the U-pgrade™ pilot plant marks a pivotal step in the company’s development journey. 

“Our team has worked diligently to ensure its readiness, and its operation in Namibia is central to validating the process at a continuous, scalable size,” he said. 

“As we look to further optimise the development pathway in Namibia, the data and insights collected will be key to the technical studies which we aim to start during the period of pilot plant operation.

“We’re extremely pleased with progress to date, and we look forward to this next phase and reporting on future milestones as they are achieved.” 

This article was developed in collaboration with Elevate Uranium, 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.