Auroch Minerals locks in drill rig for 12 months at high-grade nickel projects

Auroch Minerals Ltd (ASX:AOU) has signed a drilling contract with Seismic Drilling Services Pty Ltd that locks in a drill rig for the next 12 months to be used across Auroch’s three high-grade nickel sulphide assets in Western Australia. This will enable the company to undertake ongoing and systematic drilling at the Nepean, Leinster and Saints nickel projects, which are all in the nickel-endowed Norseman-Wiluna Greenstone Belt. Seismic will dedicate an LMP 2000 Multipurpose Drill Rig to Auroch’s nickel sulphide portfolio, allowing the company to drill reverse circulation (RC) and diamond holes as required with the same rig, for a scope of works that comprises more than 20,000 metres of drilling. Currently, this drill rig is on-site at the Nepean Nickel Project completing a 3,500-metre RC program. “Sourcing rig a big achievement” Auroch managing director Aidan Platel said: “We are very pleased to welcome Seismic to the exploration team and look forward to sharing many exploration successes over the next 12 months. “Seismic has a very experienced team and management, and their equipment and work ethics are excellent. “It is currently very difficult to source and contract drill rigs in Western Australia, so being able to lock a rig in for the next year is a great achievement.” Invaluable flexibility He added: “The flexibility that comes with a multi-rig being able to drill both RC and diamond holes will be invaluable when tackling the wide range of drill-holes we have planned for this year across all three nickel sulphide assets. “Importantly, the rig will undertake both resource drilling as well as exploring high-potential targets for possible new high-grade nickel sulphide discoveries.”