ASX-listed Lotus Resources’ recent infill drill programme has successfully converted a significant portion of the inferred mineral resources at the Letlhakane uranium project, in Botswana, into the indicated mineral resource category, with the indicated portion of the mineral resource estimate (MRE) now standing at 50%, CEO Greg Bittar says.

The revised pit-constrained MRE has increased Letlhakane’s indicated mineral resources by 65% with global resources of 142.2-million tonnes at 363 ppm of uranium oxide for 113.7-million pounds. 

The revised Letlhakane MRE is constrained by pit shells demonstrating reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction (RPEEE) and incorporates the recent infill drilling of 164 holes for 12 108 m.

Targeted exploration at Marotobolo on the western border of the mining licence has added 4.4-million pounds of new RPEEE-constrained inferred mineral resources.

Drilling has also identified further mineral resource growth opportunities which Lotus will assess in its next planned drilling campaign.

Lotus will incorporate the MRE into various mining and process flowsheet optimisation studies.

Letlhakane complements Lotus’ Kayelekera project, in Malawi, which is set to restart uranium production in the third quarter of 2025. Lotus plans to progress Letlhakane’s development in parallel with the Kayelekera restart.

Letlhakane’s revised MRE further underlines its potential as a large-scale, standalone uranium development project, the company says.

“We are now focused on completing mining optimisation studies, process flowsheet development and associated cost estimates to prepare an updated scoping study for release during the third quarter of 2025.

“This drill programme has also provided valuable insight into opportunities for further mineral resource growth which we will look to pursue during infill drilling next year that will seek to convert more of the remaining inferred material into indicated status,” Bittar outlines.