Avalon Rare Metals {TSX: AVL} have published an update of progress at their East Kemptville tin project located in Nova Scotia, Canada.
The PEA will now be available in February 2016, allowing for additional work to be included in the details.
Avalon Rare Metals {TSX: AVL} , is happy to provide an update on progress at its East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project, Nova Scotia, Canada, and declare the release of its fourth annual comprehensive Sustainability Report entitled Balancing Opportunities (the “2015 Sustainability Report”) together with the release of its 2015 annual filings.
Update on East Kemptville Tin-Indium Project
The Company is ongoing to work towards concluding a Preliminary Economic Analysis (“PEA”) on the East Kemptville Project. While the Company had originally targeted having a PEA accomplished by the end of November, that timeline has proven to be unrealistic. The Company now plans to have a PEA accomplished in early calendar 2016 which will allow for the 2015 drilling data to be compiled and integrated into an updated resource estimate. It will also allow more time for completion of ongoing metallurgical testwork and finalization of the transfer of surface tenure at the site to Avalon.
The 2015 drilling program was accomplished on November 19, 2015, at a total of 4,514 metres in twenty two holes. Initial results from this drill program were released on November 3, 2015. Assays are now pending for the remaining drill holes which tested the Duck Pond Zone and the Main Zone extension. The PEA will now incorporate all the new data generated from the 2015 work program counting the results of preliminary environmental assessment work.
Before finalizing the PEA, the Company plans to evaluate a number of alternative development scenarios for the scale of the operation. One interesting possibility to be considered is to initiate production at a relatively small scale by utilizing the existing ore stockpiles on the site, before eventually re-starting mining operations at a larger scale. This scenario has the attraction of potentially realizing production and cash flow in the relative short term with a small initial capital investment in a mill and gravity circuit to produce tin concentrate. A detailed cost-benefit analysis of this scenario is presently being undertaken by the Company’s technical team.
Avalon Rare Metals Inc. explores and develops rare metals and minerals primarily in Canada. The company focuses on exploring rare earth elements, and other rare metals and minerals, counting lithium, tantalum, niobium, cesium, indium, gallium, yttrium, and zirconium, in addition to tin.