TIDMALBA
RNS Number : 4869J
Alba Mineral Resources PLC
16 August 2023
Alba Mineral Resources Plc / EPIC: ALBA / Market: AIM / Sector:
Mining
16 August 2023
Alba Mineral Resources Plc
("Alba" or the "Company")
Clogau Operational Update
Alba Mineral Resources Plc (AIM: ALBA) provides the following
update regarding the dewatering and associated safety and access
works at its primary target within the Clogau-St David's Gold Mine
in north Wales ("Clogau" or the "Mine"), the Lower Llechfraith
workings.
Key points
-- As announced on 4 July 2023, ecological permits have been
granted at Clogau comprising a European Protected Species Licence
("EPSL"), water discharge permit, and water abstraction (or
transfer) licence, in relation to the dewatering and associated
exploration of the Lower Llechfraith workings.
-- Dewatering was initially successfully undertaken down to c.
six metres depth, however unseasonal and exceptionally heavy
rainfall during the dewatering period, some three times higher than
the average for the time of year, has resulted in the workings
reflooding, following which the Company has requested from NRW an
extension to the higher rate (100m3/day) abstraction rate, which
the Company is awaiting approvals to undertake.
-- The Company is also in the process of applying for formal
variations to both the discharge and abstraction permits to
increase the applicable thresholds under both permits.
-- Given the initial success of the dewatering exercise, upon
obtaining the revised approvals the Company expects to proceed to a
successful completion of the dewatering process.
-- Encouragingly, all safety works at Level 2 and Level 3 have
now been completed, which will allow safe access down to Level 4
once dewatering has been completed. Alba's contractors are in the
process of completing a cabin structure on the Llechfraith Adit
level which will provide the final bat exclusion and noise
mitigation measure in advance of blasting and other exploration
activities at Level 4, post dewatering.
-- In relation to the waste tip at Clogau, the Company is close
to submitting the pre-application enquiries to the local planning
authority as a precursor to the submission of a full planning
application for the exploitation of the tip.
-- Across the wider Dolgellau Exploration Project, regarding the
planned aerial, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) geophysical survey
over some key regional gold targets, we are advised that the Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued the CAA Operational
Authorisation which sets out the agreed safety case for operating
the UAV in the target area, and that the final step is to have the
area approved and notified. As such, the Company remains on track
to commence the survey in September 2023.
Further Details Regarding Operations within Lower Llechfraith
Workings
Alba's principal exploration target within the Mine is the Lower
Llechfraith workings, which have been flooded for the past 2-3
decades. In July 2023, Alba was granted an abstraction permit and a
discharge licence by Natural Resources Wales ("NRW") to enable it
to dewater the flooded workings within the Lower Llechfraith to
enable Alba to commence exploration activities there.
However, the exceptional and unseasonably heavy rains throughout
July and early August 2023 have meant that the permissions granted
by NRW, to abstract/transfer 100m3 per day for 16 consecutive days
to dewater the workings, followed by 30m3 per day (until 2030) to
keep the workings dewatered, have to date proven insufficient to
complete the dewatering exercise. While around 6m in vertical
extent of the flooded workings were dewatered initially during the
higher rate (100m3/d pumping period), in recent days, at a pumping
rate of 30m3/d and with ongoing intermittent heavy rains, the
workings have now partially reflooded close to their original
starting level (see Figure 1).
As a result, the Company is seeking a temporary variation to
recommence pumping at the higher volume 100m3/day rate. In the
meantime, the Company is also applying for formal permit variations
to allow for long-term abstraction and discharge at higher rates.
While NRW has indicated that it is not minded to grant a temporary
variation, the Company continues to make formal representations in
that regard.
It is noted that:
- The dewatering period has coincided with a period of
exceptional rainfall, some three times higher than the average for
the time of year and in the top 1st percentile of annual records
for the period. From the Rhyd Y Main rain gauge, 296mm rainfall
occurred in the month of dewatering whereas during the equivalent
period in the previous year the total rainfall was 79.8mm (data
from NRW). Based on the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology's Flood
Estimation Handbook (FEH), centred on the site, Clogau was impacted
by two 48-hour rainfall events within the two-week dewatering
period, each storm bringing rainfall comparable to the largest
48-hour storm, typically involving about 70mm of rain, that one
would only expect to see once a year, and of course not in the
middle of summer.
- NRW did previously grant the Company an informal extension to
the same abstraction permit during the course of the initial
higher-rate abstraction, which allowed the Company to reset the
clock for another 16 days at 100m3/day because of an unexpectedly
elevated zinc reading which was caused by a galvanised frame within
the settlement tank, which issue has since been rectified.
- A recommencement of the higher rate pumping regime would
continue to be subject to the Company's existing approved water
quality testing and settlement removal process, which is therefore
considered preferable to the excess rainwater discharging from the
Drainage Adit directly into the river, as would be the case if the
workings were to fully reflood.
- All water monitored to date is within the discharge permits
criteria, without active treatment. The Company has, however,
invested in a settlement treatment tank onsite which is
consistently discharging <4mg/L suspended solids. The good water
quality is not surprising, given that this is a short duration,
through-flowing system. Since the implementation of mitigation
measures within the settlement tank, daily analysis of the tank
discharge consistently shows that dissolved Cu is <1ug/L,
dissolved Fe <10ug/L, dissolved Zn <5ug/L, total As <5ug/L
and total Al <50ug/L, all being well within the discharge
permits criteria.
- To put the relative volumes of water in their context, a
discharge to the river (the Afon Cwm Llechen) of 100m3/day
represents about 0.03% of the total river flow during a low flow
period, and an even lower percentage during the higher flow periods
experienced of late, which are more typically experienced in the
autumn and winter months.
- While it may be possible to complete the dewatering exercise
at the base pumping rate, of 30m3/day under the existing
abstraction permit, this would be expected to take a considerable
length of time and require a cessation of the exceptional rainfall
events which have been seen in recent weeks. However, an initial
dewatering of the workings to at least around 15 metres in vertical
extent would allow the Company to commence the planned safety,
clean-up and exploration works (surveying, mapping and sampling) on
Level 4, with the second phase of dewatering (down to around 30m
vertical extent) then allowing for the sinking of winzes below
Level 4 for the purposes of the planned bulk sampling.
Figure 1: Lower Llechfraith workings, annotated to show
completed safety, access and bat exclusion measures. Approximate
depth of flooded workings shown on right-hand side (Level 4 at
around 15m and total depth down to around 30m, with the total
vertical extent dewatered, prior to reflooding, at around 6m)
All safety and access works at Level 2 and Level 3 have now been
completed, which will allow safe access down to Level 4 once the
dewatering exercise has been completed.
Alba's contractors are in the process of completing a cabin
structure on the Llechfraith Adit level which will provide the
final bat exclusion and noise mitigation measure in advance of
blasting and other exploration activities at Level 4, post
dewatering (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Cabin under construction at Llechfraith Adit Level
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of the UK Market Abuse Regulation and the Directors of the Company
are responsible for the release of this announcement.
Forward Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements relating
to expected or anticipated future events and anticipated results
that are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to
certain risks and uncertainties, such as general economic, market
and business conditions, competition for qualified staff, the
regulatory process and actions, technical issues, new legislation,
uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans,
uncertainties resulting from working in a new political
jurisdiction, uncertainties regarding the results of exploration,
uncertainties regarding the timing and granting of prospecting
rights, uncertainties regarding the timing and granting of
regulatory and other third party consents and approvals,
uncertainties regarding the Company's or any third party's ability
to execute and implement future plans, and the occurrence of
unexpected events.
Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided
herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and
uncertainties and other factors.
**ENDS**
For further information, please visit www.albamineralresources.com or contact:
Alba Mineral Resources plc
George Frangeskides, Executive Chairman +44 20 3950 0725
SPARK Advisory Partners Limited (Nomad)
Andrew Emmott +44 20 3368 3555
-----------------------------
CMC Markets plc (Broker)
Thomas Smith / Douglas Crippen +44 (0) 20 3003 8632
-----------------------------
St Brides Partners (Financial PR) alba@stbridespartners.co.uk
Isabel de Salis / Catherine Leftley
-----------------------------
Alba's Projects & Investments
Projects Operated by Alba Location Ownership
------------ -----------
Clogau (gold) Wales 100%
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Dolgellau Gold Exploration (gold) Wales 100%
------------ -----------
Gwynfynydd (gold) Wales 100%
------------ -----------
Investments Held by Alba Location Ownership
------------ -----------
GreenRoc Mining Plc (mining) Greenland 42.97%
------------ -----------
Horse Hill (oil) England 11.765%
------------ -----------
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