Thor Energy PLC (AIM:THR, OTCQB:THORF, ASX:THR) has noted that its 26% owned associate EnviroCopper has commenced drilling at the Alford West Copper ISR Project in South Australia.
Drilling is the first step in assessing whether the Alford West orebodies are amenable to copper recovery using ISR, a form of metal processing that significantly reduces the surface impacts and allows rehabilitation of the land back to its original farming state.
Thor has already carried out drilling and copper recovery hydrometallurgical work at its adjacent Alford East Copper ISR project.
“If these ISR trials are successful, they will significantly increase the potential to extract economic copper via ISR along the Alford Copper Belt,” Thor added.
This area of known copper oxide resources in the Copper Belt extends over 50km.
Leon Faulkner, EnviroCopper’s managing director, commented: "This work on the Alford West Project further strengthens both EnviroCopper's strategy to develop ISR copper projects for the state of South Australia and its relationship with key partners including Alligator Energy."
Nicole Galloway Warland, Thor Energy MD, added: "Water Bore drilling has now commenced at ECL's Alford West Copper Project.
“The first step will assess whether the Alford West orebodies (Bruce Larwood and Wombat deposits) are likely to be amenable to sustainable recovery of copper using ISR.”