Firebird Metals Limited (ASX: FRB) has unveiled a significant Resource upgrade at its flagship Oakover Manganese Project, which is located 85km east of Newman in the Eastern Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Highlights
- 80% uplift in Indicated Mineral Resource at flagship Oakover Project from 58.7 Mt to 105.8 Mt
- 33.9Mt @ 9.7% Mn Indicated Resource at Karen deposit; 13.1Mt @ 9.7% Mn Indicated Resource at Jay Eye deposit
- Impressive Resource upgrade is a result of the 82 hole, 2,828m infill drill programme at the Jay Eye and Karen deposits, completed in October 2022
The company has delivered an impressive 80% increase to the Oakover Indicated Resource, which has grown from 58.7 Mt to 105.8 Mt, using a 7% Mn cut off. The Resource upgrade is a result of the 82-hole 2,828m infill drilling program completed at the Jay Eye and Karen deposits in October 2022.
Additionally, the results have also grown the total Oakover Mineral Resource from 172.3Mt to 176.7Mt.
This is another fantastic result for Firebird and our shareholders. We are focused on establishing Oakover as major Western Australian manganese operation and this significant milestone announced today is another step towards achieving our primary objective,” Managing Director, Peter Allen, said.
“De- risking the development pathway at Oakover through the addition of another 47 million tonnes in an Indicated category from Jay-Eye and Karen places us in a strong development position moving forward and we look forward to continuing to progress our flagship Project throughout a busy 2023 and beyond.
“These results come off the back of the Scoping Study that we released last year on Oakover, which delivered strong economics based on a 10-year mine life. That Study did not include the Indicated Resources of Karen and Jay Eye and was produced solely off the Sixty Sixer deposit.
“Strategically, we are developing Oakover at a time where demand for manganese within the lithium-ion battery sector continues to grow rapidly, as electric vehicle and battery cathode manufacturers have stated their desire to increase the amount of manganese within lithium- ion batteries, due to the cost benefits obtained whilst maintaining energy density.”
Next Steps
Following completion of the Mineral Resource Upgrade, along with the recent successful production of battery-grade manganese sulphate from Oakover, Firebird is now focused on completing its high-purity sulphate Scoping Study, which is expected to be finalised and released in Q3 this year. The company will then look to commence a combined Pre-Feasibility Study on manganese ore and high-purity sulphate to encapsulate a total Project study.
