TSX-V-listed Aton Resources has signed a contract with TSX-listed exploration drilling company Geodrill to undertake a 10 000 m programme of reverse circulation (RC) percussion drilling at the Abu Marawat Concession, in the Eastern Desert of Egypt.
“We are delighted to announce that we have signed a contract with Geodrill for 10 000 m of RC drilling at Abu Marawat. This programme has been years in the making, and we are really excited to now finally be getting ready to drill some of our highly prospective regional targets,” says interim CEO Tonno Vahk.
“We are also pleased to be working with Geodrill on this programme. [Geodrill] entered the Egyptian market two years ago . . . [and is] very much an expanding global player and well established as one of Africa’s leading drilling companies,” he adds.
“We have been busy the last couple of months preparing for this programme, with excavators and loaders working on access roads and drill pads around the licence area, ahead of starting the drilling in early May.
“We continue to work closely with our partners at the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority, and are still on track for the submission of our application for the mining licence at Abu Marawat in quarter three this year, and are looking forwards to updating investors on what we hope to be very positive drill results in the coming months,” Vahk outlines.
Geodrill will supply an X900 multipurpose rig, designed by AustEx and built in-house, for the contract. The X900 rig has a rated RC depth capacity of 400 m.
The rig is expected to mobilise to site during the first week of May, with drilling to start at West Garida to follow up on the highly promising five-hole 2022 RC programme, before moving to the Semna and Abu Gaharish prospects.
Drilling is also being planned at the Zeno, Bohlog and Sir Bakis prospects.