Empire Metals Limited has announced the key milestones expected over the next twelve months as the company advances the Pitfield Project in Western Australia towards commercialization. The company has completed diamond core drilling focused on confirming the continuation of near-surface, high-grade titanium mineralization identified by previous drilling and surface sampling. Additionally, the third phase of Reverse Circulation drilling is underway to test and delineate the two known zones of high-grade, bedded mineralization.
Empire is working towards commencing the design and construction of a Demonstration Plant in 2025, alongside advancing all aspects of the project development plan. The plan includes milestones such as definitive mineralogical and metallurgical characterisation studies, finalizing a process flowsheet and Demonstration Plant design, and defining a maiden JORC-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate. The company aims to de-risk the project and unlock significant value through the achievement of these milestones.
The project development team has been strengthened with the appointments of an Environmental Manager and a Commercial Manager, who will manage critical project-related activities including government liaison for project permitting and funding, commercial and legal compliance, land access management, and community stakeholder relations.
Shaun Bunn, Managing Director of Empire Metals Limited, expressed confidence in the project's progression, stating, "We recently reported the results of our preliminary technical studies, which show favourable mineralogy and metallurgy in the high-grade titanium samples drilled at Pitfield; giving us confidence that a highly concentrated titanium product can be delivered by a relatively simple processing facility which can be located at the site."
Empire has introduced a 2024-25 project development plan for Pitfield, aiming to jointly define the mineral resource, mining options, and process flowsheet, and to commence the design and construction of a Demonstration Plant in 2025. The company has rapidly moved from an early exploration phase to project development, largely due to the simple nature of the giant bedded titanium-rich mineral system at Pitfield.
The company is focused on building in-house skills to retain responsibility for project activities, stakeholder relationships, and intellectual property developed along the way. The Development Plan is already well underway, and Empire Metals Limited is making significant strides in advancing the Pitfield Project towards commercialization.