Peak Nickel Ltd has started a 1,000 metre drill campaign, with a possible extension, at the Rodburn project in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
COMPELLING
The programme, on the “highest grade battery metals project in the UK”, follows last year’s 2,600m drill for 18 holes, testing areas around historically identified, non-compliant mineral resources.
The Sheffield-based company’s new estimate resulted in an inferred mineral resource of 4.3Mt with 0.54% nickel, 0.28% copper, 364ppm cobalt and 0.72% nickel equivalent.
This includes 2.9Mt with 0.67% nickel, 0.35% copper, 457 ppm cobalt and 0.9% nickel equivalent.
The 2023 programme defined “widespread” nickel-copper-cobalt mineralisation in wide zones of disseminated sulphides, “up to 60 metres thick in certain holes”, within which were “numerous zones of massive and semi-massive sulphides”.
Subject to funding, Peak’s 2024 plans include a total 6,000m drilling, at least double the current MRE, metallurgical testwork, begin the planning process and prepare for an IPO.
Ormonde Mining plc, which owns 20% of Peak, added that the project had indications of significant size.
“Ormonde believes Rodburn’s resource has good potential for enlargement, and we expect this drilling programme will be an important step towards achieving that goal,” said executive chair Brian Timmons.
“The opportunity to define a battery metals resource of scale within Europe, reducing supply reliance on external sources, is compelling.”
Rodburn, located 30 miles west of Aberdeen Minerals Ltd’s Arthrath nickel project, was discovered in the early 1970s by a Rio Tinto / Goldfields joint venture and has undergone no work for the past 50 years.