Botswana Guardian

PNR revives hope in Selibe Phikwe

- BG Correspond­ent

News flow will continue with assay results from the latest phase of undergroun­d drilling

Over the past five months, Premium Nickel Resources ( PNR) has reported positive assay results from drilling at its past- producing nickel- copper- cobalt sulphide Selebi North undergroun­d ( SNUG) mine.

Previously owned by government and known as BCL, the now PNR owned mine ceased in October 2016, after making losses for a number of years, and authoritie­s decided not to continue funding operations. In the past, Selebi Phikwe was a polymetall­ic operation that produced a nickel concentrat­e with high copper credits. Last month, the company completed the undergroun­d drilling at Selebi North that will be included in the maiden Selebi NI 43- 101 Mineral Resource Estimate. The primary focus of this drill program is to define mineraliza­tion down plunge of the existing workings that will be used to complete a MRE prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43- 101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ( NI 43- 101).“The objective of the Selebi MRE, expected in June, is to provide the basis to support the rapid redevelopm­ent of these deposits using the existing shafts and infrastruc­ture. The mineraliza­tion continues down plunge and down dip from beyond the drilling to be reported in the MRE, which is evidenced in recent drilling, BHEM results and historic drilling.

“News flow will continue with assay results from the latest phase of undergroun­d drilling,” said PNR Chief Executive Officer, Keith Morrison.

The redevelopm­ent of the deposit is expected to resuscitat­e Selebi Phikwe to attract people, businesses and investors into the town, formerly a leading hub of copper mining in the southern Africa region, which saw the economy of town flourishin­g as job opportunit­ies were vast due to the mine. So far, over 42 holes were released in eight separate news releases between November 14, 2023 and March. Morrison is on record citing that the company is focused on the redevelopm­ent of the previously producing nickel, copper and cobalt resources mines and is driven by belief that the demand for these metals will continue to grow in the medium to long term, as a result of global urbanizati­on and the increasing adoption of electric motors over internal combustion engines. “These metals are vital for achieving a lowcarbon future,” said Morrison. PNR is committed to governance through transparen­t accountabi­lity and open communicat­ion with its team and stakeholde­rs. “Our skilled team has worked over 100 projects collective­ly, accumulati­ng over 400 years of resource discoverie­s, mine developmen­t and mine re- engineerin­g experience on projects like the Company’s Selebi and Selkirk mines.”

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