A couple of new prospects near Tomingley Gold Operations (TGO) could lead Alkane Resources back to job-generating open-pit mining.
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But the company has not ruled out opting for underground mining at Roswell and San Antonio which managing director Nic Earner reports "may actually join together".
Either way, Alkane Resources wants to feed ore into the established processing plant at TGO where open-pit mining has ceased and an underground mine is being established with a reduced but specialist workforce.
Drilling costing about $2 million across the next year aims to confirm if the prospects' gold resources are of "sufficient size and quality" to mine, Mr Earner says,
He is reporting of "significant exploration results".
"It is clear from the breadth and grade encountered in the latest drilling that these are the most significant exploration results in the Tomingley region since the initial discoveries by Alkane over 10 years ago," he said.
"These results are reminiscent of the discovery holes of the deposits that then became our Tomingley Gold Operations.
"With our processing plant, which is currently treating stockpiles and is soon to be processing underground material, only four kilometres away, we will be expediting the drilling and development of these ounces to capture value for shareholders as quickly as possible."
Mr Earner said the company had 50-kilometre tenements from "right up north above Tomingley to down south past Peak Hill and almost to Parkes.
"We can see when we explore we're often successful so our plan is to continue to explore and grow in the region," he said.
TGO profits have helped Alkane Resources progress the development-ready $1.3 billion Dubbo Project.
In October last year Alkane Resources Managing director Nic Earner said Alkane Resources would prefer to recruit underground miners already living in the district than Fly-In Fly-Out workers.
"It's better for them as individuals and less expensive for us as a company," he said.
He said "a lot of people" living in communities such as Parkes are working as underground miners in places such as Nyngan and Cobar.
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