REG - Cobra Resources PLC - Sonic Drilling Commences at Boland

Cobra ResourcesAnnouncement

24/04/2025 08:00

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RNS Number : 0263G  Cobra Resources PLC  24 April 2025

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF
REGULATION 2014/596/EU WHICH IS PART OF DOMESTIC UK LAW PURSUANT TO THE MARKET
ABUSE (AMENDMENT) (EU EXIT) REGULATIONS (SI 2019/310) ("UK MAR"). UPON THE
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24 April 2025

 

Cobra Resources plc

("Cobra" or the "Company")

 

Sonic Drilling Commences at Boland

 

Cobra (https://cobraplc.com/) (LSE: COBR)
(https://www.londonstockexchange.com/stock/COBR/cobra-resources-plc/company-page)
, the mineral exploration and development company advancing a potentially
world-class ionic Rare Earth Elements ("REEs") discovery at its Boland Project
("Boland") in South Australia, is pleased to advise that sonic core drilling
has commenced at Boland.

 

At Boland, ionically bound REEs enriched in dysprosium and terbium occur
within permeable sands and are amenable to in situ recovery ("ISR"), a
low-cost, low impact mining process with high environmental stewardship.

 

Highlights

 

·    Star Drilling's rig has mobilised to site to commence a minimum
10-hole (~500m) programme (see Figure 2)

·    Drilling is expected to take 8-10 days

·    A further well will be installed to support the planned future
infield permeability study

·    40-80kg of sample material will be used from recovered core to
facilitate optimisation metallurgical studies

·    Results are anticipated in 4-6 weeks

 

Rupert Verco, Managing Director of Cobra, commented:

 

"Sonic drilling provides the best sample return possible, enabling us to
evaluate the ISR productivity of the orebody and evaluate the enrichment of
dysprosium and terbium, two critical heavy rare earths which are in high
demand globally. We anticipate higher grades than defined within aircore
results owing to the sonic rig's ability to recover a complete sample.
Drilling has been designed to confirm the continuity of geology across the
expanding footprint that has been defined in aircore drilling, building
towards a potentially significant mineral resource estimate.

 

This is an important process in project advancement, contributing to resource
definition, ISR infield testing and optimised metallurgical studies. This
drilling will inform our funded and ongoing resource-focused drilling
programme. We look forward to providing updates on our progress in due
course."

Figure 1: Sonic drilling underway at the Boland Project

 

 

Figure 2: Planned sonic core collars in reference to recent aircore drilling

 

 

Boland Project

 

Cobra's unique and highly scalable Boland discovery is a strategically
advantageous ionic rare earth discovery where high grades of valuable heavy
and magnet rare earths occur concentrated in a permeable horizon confined by
impermeable clays. Bench scale ISR testing has confirmed that mineralisation
is amenable to ISR mining. ISR has been used successfully for decades within
geologically similar systems to recover uranium within South Australia.
Results of this metallurgical test work support that, with minor optimisation,
ISR techniques should enable non-invasive and low-cost production of critical
REEs from Cobra's Boland discovery.

 

Follow this link to watch a short video of CEO Rupert Verco discussing the
sonic core drilling: https://investors.cobraplc.com/link/VyEGvr
(https://investors.cobraplc.com/link/VyEGvr)

 

Further information relating to Boland is presented in the appendix.

 

Enquiries:

 

 Cobra Resources plc                           via Vigo Consulting

 Rupert Verco (Australia)                      +44 (0)20 7390 0234

 Dan Maling (UK)

 SI Capital Limited (Joint Broker)             +44 (0)1483 413 500

 Nick Emerson

 Sam Lomanto

 Global Investment Strategy (Joint Broker)     +44 (0)20 7048 9437

 James Sheehan                                 james.sheehan@gisukltd.com
 Vigo Consulting (Financial Public Relations)  +44 (0)20 7390 0234

 Ben Simons                                    cobra@vigoconsulting.com

 Kendall Hill

 

The person who arranged for the release of this announcement was Rupert Verco,
Managing Director of the Company.

 

Competent Persons Statement

 

Information and data presented within this announcement has been compiled by
Mr Robert Blythman, a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists
("MAIG"). Mr Blythman is a Consultant to Cobra Resources Plc and has
sufficient experience, which is relevant to the style of mineralisation,
deposit type and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a
Competent Person defined by the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for
Reporting Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the "JORC"
Code). This includes 12 years of Mining, Resource Estimation and Exploration
relevant to the style of mineralisation.

 

Information in this announcement has been assessed by Mr Rupert Verco, a
Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Verco is an
employee of Cobra and has more than 17 years' industry experience which is
relevant to the style of mineralisation, deposit type, and activity which he
is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition
of the Australasian Code for Reporting Exploration Results, Mineral Resources
and Ore Reserves of JORC. This includes 13 years of Mining, Resource
Estimation and Exploration.

 

About Cobra

 

In 2023, Cobra discovered a rare earth deposit with the potential to re-define
the cost of rare earth production. The highly scalable Boland ionic rare earth
discovery at Cobra's Wudinna Project in South Australia's Gawler Craton is
Australia's only rare earth project amenable for in situ recovery (ISR) mining
- a low cost, low disturbance method enabling bottom quartile recovery costs
without any need for excavation or ground disturbance. Cobra is focused on
de-risking the investment value of the discovery by proving ISR as the
preferred mining method and testing the scale of the mineralisation footprint
through drilling.

 

Cobra's Wudinna tenements also contain extensive orogenic gold mineralisation,
including a 279,000 Oz gold JORC Mineral Resource Estimate, characterised by
low levels of over-burden, amenable to open pit mining.

 

Regional map showing Cobra's tenements in the heart of the Gawler Craton

 

 

 

Follow us on social media:

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cobraresourcesplc
(https://www.linkedin.com/company/cobraresourcesplc)

X: https://twitter.com/Cobra_Resources (https://twitter.com/Cobra_Resources)

 

Engage with us by asking questions, watching video summaries and seeing what
other shareholders have to say. Navigate to our Interactive Investor hub here:
https://investors.cobraplc.com/ (https://investors.cobraplc.com/)

 

Subscribe to our news alert service:
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Appendix 1: Background information - the Boland Project and ISR

 

·    The Boland Project was discovered by Cobra in 2023. Mineralisation is
ionically bound to clays and organics within palaeochannel sands within the
Narlaby Palaeochannel

 

·    Mineralisation occurs within a permeable sand within an aquifer that
is saltier than sea water and is confined by impermeable clays

 

·    ISR is executed through engineered drillhole arrays that allow the
injection of mildly acidic ammonium sulphate lixiviants, using the confining
nature of the geology to direct and lower the acidity of the orebody. This
low-cost process enables mines to operate profitably at lower grades and lower
rates of recovery

 

·    Once REEs are mobile in solution in groundwater, it is also possible,
from an engineering standpoint, to recover the solution to surface via
extraction drillholes, without any need for excavation or ground disturbance

 

·    The capital costs of ISR mining are low as they involve no material
movements and do not require traditional infrastructure to process ore - i.e.
metals are recovered in solution

 

·    Ionic mineralisation is highly desirable owing to its high weighting
of valuable HREOs and the cost-effective method in which REEs can be desorbed

 

·    Ionic REE mineralisation in China is mined in an in-situ manner that
relies on gravity to permeate mineralisation. The style of ISR process is
unconfined and cannot be controlled, increasing the risk for environmental
degradation. This low-cost process has enabled China to dominate mine supply
of HREOs, supplying over 90% globally

 

·    Confined aquifer ISR is successfully executed globally within the
uranium industry, accounting for more than 60% of the world's uranium
production. This style of ISR has temporary ground disturbance, and the ground
waters are regenerated over time

 

·    Cobra is aiming to demonstrate the economic and environmental
benefits of recovering ionic HREOs through the more environmentally aquifer
controlled ISR - a world first for rare earths

 

Figure A1: Comparison between the Chinese and the proposed Boland process for
ISR mining of REEs

 

 

 

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