Arrow Minerals to Commence Maiden Drilling at Niagara Bauxite Project in Guinea

Arrow Minerals Limited (ASX: AMD) has announced that its maiden drilling program is set to begin at the Niagara Bauxite Project in Guinea. This drilling will concentrate on regions where prior exploration by companies like Vale has identified significant bauxite mineralization close to or at the surface. The drilling program is expected to take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to complete, with initial assay results anticipated to arrive later in the quarter. Arrow aims to finish all drilling and chemical analyses within 2024, which will provide essential data for estimating a maiden Mineral Resource. Following this, the company plans to conduct a scoping study in the first half of 2025.

Fieldwork has already commenced, including outreach efforts with local and regional government authorities to introduce Arrow's future activities to host communities. The team is also gathering various baseline environmental data necessary for the project's development. Arrow has previously reported an Exploration Target for the Niagara Bauxite Project, estimating between 170 million to 340 million tonnes at a grade range of approximately 40% to 46% Al2O3 and 1% to 4% SiO2. It is important to note that the potential quantity and grade of this Exploration Target are conceptual, and there has been insufficient exploration to define a Mineral Resource. Therefore, it remains uncertain whether further exploration will lead to the establishment of a Mineral Resource.

David Flanagan, Arrow's Managing Director, commented on the extensive bauxite mineralization at Niagara. He noted that previous explorers did not follow up on these findings primarily due to low bauxite prices and a lack of rail and port infrastructure. However, the bauxite market has significantly improved, driven by the increasing recognition of aluminum as a crucial metal for the future. This has led to tighter global supply and heightened demand, resulting in rising bauxite prices. Flanagan highlighted the upcoming completion of the multi-user Trans Guinean railway and Morebaya port infrastructure in 2025 as a substantial opportunity for the Niagara project.

The drilling program will specifically target highly prospective areas with drill spacings designed to adequately inform the estimation of Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources, compliant with reporting requirements for scoping studies. Flanagan expressed enthusiasm about the first three targets, which have a combined strike length of 20 kilometers, indicating a significant number of holes to be drilled. He is eager to receive the initial lab results later in the quarter, optimistic about the potential outcomes of this exploration endeavor.