Delta Drone International is set to enter the Niger market for the first time after being contracted by uranium explorer and developer, GoviEx Uranium, to perform a virtual 3D model baseline survey for GoviEx’s Madaouela project.
The baseline survey will be one of the first times Delta Drone International uses its advanced surveying and data capture technology to create a shareable view of a potential mining site to share with GoviEx Uranium stakeholders, it said. These stakeholders are currently unable to attend the site due to current travel restrictions, while the engineering teams will use the results for project construction design.
Over a two-week period, Delta Drone International’s specialist mining pilots will deploy state-of-the-art surveying drones, with the data captured to be used by GoviEx Uranium as the base to build a virtual 3D model of the new site and consult with key international stakeholders, virtually, it said.
Delta Drone International CEO, Christopher Clark, said: “This is the first time Delta Drone International has been commissioned for a project in Niger – a region where aviation, including drone operation, requires military clearance. This project with GoviEx Uranium is an example of the many ways drones are being used to more efficiently share the data needed to guide decision making among business leaders.”
He added: “Working with the GoviEx Uranium team right from the planning phase of their new mine ensures we can seamlessly collate multiple data sets of areas where low-quality, outdated or even no data is available, export it into easy-to-utilise formats and virtually share with their international stakeholders – removing the need for on-site attendance. This type of data capture is likely to be increasingly used in remote sites to support much more efficient and timely stakeholder engagement and decision making around key milestones in projects.”
An updated prefeasibility study from February on Madaouela, based on probable mineral reserves of 54.7 Mlb of U3O8, indicated the company could build a 1 Mt/y operation able to produce 2.48 MIb of U3O8 for 20 years from mostly open-pit reserves.
