Cashed-up Thunderbird Resources (ASX: THB) has awarded the maiden diamond drilling contract for the Hidden Bay Uranium Project in Canada to QB Drilling.
QB Drilling is headquartered in northeastern Saskatchewan and has extensive experience operating in the Athabasca Basin, having been established in 2004. QB was selected following a rigorous selection process in which six drilling contractors participated.
Work has commenced on detailed planning for the mobilisation of the drill rig and commencement of drilling in mid-August. Helicopter support has also been finalised, with lodging secured at Points North and technical support being provided by Dahrouge Geological Consulting.
Hidden Bay is located 20km south-west of the historic Rabbit Lake uranium deposit on the eastern flank of Canada’s world-class Athabasca Basin.
The upcoming drilling programme will comprise approximately 2,400m of diamond drilling across five high- priority target areas that have been developed by the Company’s exploration team based in part, on geological analogues with uranium deposits in the eastern Athabasca Basin.
“Following the successful completion of our recent $4.1 million capital raising, we have moved swiftly to secure a drilling contractor to commence operations at the Hidden Bay Uranium Project. Our team has been diligently finalising all aspects of the drilling program to ensure we can start as soon as possible,” Executive Chairman, George Bauk, said.
“While a significant amount of time has been devoted to logistics and securing key contracts, we also continue to refine our priority drill targets. This maiden programme will test significant gravity lows, amongst other exciting targets, and we are looking forward to the results, which will provide us with valuable insights to further advance this project and hopefully vector into a significant uranium discovery.
“The time is ripe for uranium, and there is no better place for uranium exploration than the Athabasca Basin. Uranium is essential for the future of clean energy, offering a reliable baseload power source. Our exploration success will be crucial in addressing the upcoming supply challenges to meet growing demand.”