Elevate Uranium plans to test higher-grade ore from its Marenica Uranium Project during the December 2026 quarter as the company advances its pilot plant programme following initial results that achieved a sevenfold increase in uranium grade.
According to the company’s September 2026 Quarterly Activities Report, the planned testing campaign will use newly excavated ore with a resource grade of 180 parts per million (ppm) uranium oxide (U₃O₈), compared with the 89 ppm feed grade used during initial pilot plant testing.
The report states that the programme will also focus on optimising the fifth and final stage of the company’s patented U-pgrade beneficiation process, with integrated results from all five stages expected during the December quarter.
Results from the first four stages showed that approximately 88% of the original ore mass was rejected while 79% of the uranium was recovered. The uranium grade increased from 89 ppm to 590 ppm, representing an upgrade ratio of approximately seven times.
The report said Stage 4 calcite flotation removed carbonate minerals that would otherwise interfere with acid leaching.
This allows processing at ambient temperatures over four to six hours, compared with conventional alkaline leaching, which requires temperatures above 92°C and processing times of 24 to 36 hours.
Elevate estimates that the shorter processing time could reduce the required leach circuit volume by approximately 25 times.
At Marenica, the company drilled 718 holes covering 31,115 metres during the quarter, primarily targeting the conversion of inferred resources into the higher-confidence indicated category. An updated mineral resource estimate is expected during the December quarter.
At its Koppies Uranium Project, Elevate drilled 191 holes covering 5,408 metres at the Namib IV resource area.
The report also confirmed that Elevate held an 85% interest in Marenica at the end of September, following its acquisition of a 10% stake from Xanthos Mining.
A further 5% acquisition from Millenium Minerals, which would increase its ownership to 90%, had a completion deadline of 30 October 2026.
Elevate reported exploration expenditure of A$4.08 million during the quarter and cash holdings of A$22.2 million.
The company also reduced its drilling operations from four to five rigs to one rig from October, with lower exploration expenditure expected.
The Marenica Scoping Study is scheduled to begin in the March 2027 quarter, alongside planned testing of Koppies ore through the pilot plant.
