Notice of withdrawal from Uranium JV by Rio Tinto
March 12 2009 - 5:49AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMZRL
RNS Number : 7476O
Zambezi Resources Ltd
12 March 2009
12 March 2009
Zambezi Resources Limited
Rio Tinto Mining and Exploration Ltd Withdraws from Mulofwe Uranium JV
Zambezi Resources Limited ("Zambezi" or the "Company") (AIM:ZRL; ASX:ZRL) today
announces that it has received notice from Rio Tinto Mining and Exploration
("Rio") that it has withdrawn from the Mulofwe Uranium Joint Venture ("JV") in
Zambia. Rio's withdrawal from the JV took effect as of 9 March 2009.
Rio cites the primary reason for withdrawing from the JV as "a reduction in
global budgets across Rio Tinto Exploration has forced us to re-examine our
portfolio and focus on a few core projects". Rio entered into the JV on 4
September 2007 with the intention of generating and drill testing targets for
uranium mineralisation within the property.
Initial work by Zambezi highlighted the potential of the project through
detailed airborne radiometrics. Follow up rock chipping and trenching lead to
the discovery of the Nkala Prospect. Results of this initial radiometric survey
showed an anomalous corridor of elevated radiometric response in excess of 20km
in strike coincident with lithostratigraphic shale units and structure.
Subsequent to the JV being signed in 2007, Rio embarked on a detailed and
focused exploration program consisting of airborne VTEM, surface mapping,
spectral mapping, rock chipping, trenching, SEM characterisation of selected
minerals and wholerock analysis of selected samples.
The work carried out by Rio has significantly advanced the Nkala Prospect and
identified other new targets with coincident VTEM conductors and elevated
radiometric response within the project area. As a result of the detailed
exploration work carried out by Rio, collar positions for drillholes have been
planned and were intended for testing by Rio in Q4 2008. It is Zambezi's
intention to drill these targets when the Company has secured its financial
position.
The Company has today received a query letter from the ASX in respect of the ASX
announcement of Rio's withdrawal from the JV ("the Withdrawal"). This letter
queries, in particular, the materiality of the Withdrawal and the timing that
the Company became aware of the Withdrawal.
Due to the infancy of the project and work that had been carried out on the
project to date by Rio Tinto the Company does not believe that the Withdrawal is
material to the operations of the Company given the progress that had been made
and that Withdrawal took place prior to any drilling taking place and any drill
results being announced.
A copy of the ASX letter and Zambezi's response letter have been announced to
the ASX and are available on the ASX website www.asx.com.au and the Company's
website www.zambezireources.com
For Further Information please contact:
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