Allup Silica Ltd (ASX:APS) has a potential new raft of areas to explore, having made exploration licence applications for new projects in Western Australia and the Northern Territory which it considers prospective for silica sand.
The company has lodged applications for the Blue Vein and Trigger Fish projects to the WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety and the NT Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade.
It has also made an exploration licence application to extend the size of its Dune Buggy tenement holdings.
Snapshot of the new applications
The Blue Vein Silica Exploration Project is 30 kilometres by rail to Bunbury Port and within close proximity of infrastructure, including a railway, sealed roads, township and industry.
It’s situated on privately owned freehold land and will require landowner consent.
Historical drilling, desktop review and site review indicate the potential for silica sands.
The Trigger Fish Silica Exploration Project is around 4 kilometres to the east of the Adelaide-Darwin railway line, in close proximity to infrastructure including a gas pipeline, a railway, a sealed road and a small township, and a desktop review indicates the potential for silica sands.
The Dune Buggy Silica Exploration Project is subject to an extension application of around three-blocks or 8.6 square kilometres east of the existing tenement holding. The project has an east-side location and is therefore marginally closer to Esperance Port.
Allup Silica chairperson Andrew Haythorpe said: “Allup is focused on progressing the development of its early-stage silica sand exploration project locations and ongoing exploration.
“Allup’s commercial strategy is to concentrate on multiple projects with both logistics and port options.”
Redirecting efforts
The board has also decided to withdraw its application for an exploration licence for the Antwalker project, believing it now has the right settings for a tenement portfolio that will optimise the company’s opportunities for project development, given the early-stage nature of these projects.
Allup will redirect the funds previously earmarked for those projects that are being withdrawn to new exploration applications or other key silica sands projects within its portfolio.
Allup is executing its strategy by targeting multiple projects with potential for high quality, high purity silica and transport links to nearby ports.