According to the company, the test pit is a key component of the project’s current Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS).
Toro said that the on site test pit work will involve the movement of approximately 45,000 tonnes of barren and ore material for sampling, with all material then returned to the pit to allow for full site rehabilitation.
Preliminary work involving a ground water barrier trial is nearing completion. Lines of closely spaced drill holes incorporating an inserted geopolymer barrier have been installed around the pit perimeter to temporarily limit any inflow of saline groundwater during pit operations. A successful trial of this technique will reduce planned water management costs for any eventual mine, the company said.
The Western Australia government has approved the test pit which has also received clearance by Native Title claimants.
The company said that the Wiluna project is planned to come on stream by 2013, subject to federal and Western Australian government assessment and a final decision by Toro board to proceed.
Results from the resource test pit will: provide a better geological understanding of Wiluna’s uranium mineralization and underlying clays; validate mineral resource grade estimates, test selective mining methods, and develop mining parameters to convert more of Wiluna’s uranium mineral resource to ore reserve.
It will also provide samples for optimal processing flow sheet design from metallurgical characterization and metallurgical testing; and assist to develop an operational and environmental management strategy for mine groundwater.
The company said that a surface continuous miner is being mobilized to site to trial selective mining to achieve and improve on the approximately 650ppm U3O8 mill feed grade currently estimated in the optimization study.