Tivan Limited has received final regulatory approval from the Northern Territory Department of Lands, Planning and Environment to commence its maiden drilling campaign at the Sandover fluorite project located about 230 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs.
The program will test several high-grade fluorite veins identified through recent surface sampling and mapping, with assays returning up to 94 per cent calcium fluorite (CaF2).
The first phase of the drilling campaign, scheduled to begin in early November, will target these priority areas through 11 diamond core holes totalling 855 metres.
Tivan executive chairman Grant Wilson said that the company is “very pleased” to have received regulatory approval, in time to mobilise its team from Speewah to Sandover before the end of 2025.
“Given the time constraints, we have rationalised the drill program to start with our highest priorities, noting as well that we are still learning about Molyhil and the Sandover flourite at the surface,” Wilson said.
“The resulting diamond cores will provide a step-change in our understanding of the geological and metallurgical potential of the Sandover flourite project.”
According to Tivan, Stage 1 will provide initial core samples for metallurgical assessment and support the project’s upcoming study phases in 2026, with a second stage of reverse circulation (RC) drilling comprising 54 holes (5865 metres) expected to begin in February next year, following geological interpretation of initial results.
The Sandover flourite project sits adjacent to Tivan’s newly acquired Molyhil tungsten-molybdenum project and builds on a recent memorandum of understanding signed with Sumitomo Corporation, Tivan’s joint venture partner, at the Speewah flourite project in Western Australia.
Tivan’s strategy is to define a fluorite deposit of sufficient scale and grade to support mining and downstream processing, potentially producing metspar (CaF2 content >80 per cent) or acid-grade fluorspar (CaF2 >97 per cent) using ore sorting technology.
Assay results from a third surface sampling program, conducted in conjunction with the Molyhil acquisition, are expected to be reported in November.
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