Jobs hopes for Tulla zinc mine project

The potential for a large-scale zinc mine in Tulla has been identified this week, offering hope for job creation locally, as IMC Exploration Group PLC announced findings from its latest drilling exercise.

The directors of IMC Exploration Group Plc have been drilling at their Prospecting Licence Area 3729 in Tulla and have confirmed the area’s potential to host significant zinc and other base metal mineralisation.

IMC increased drilling activity as a result of encouraging indications from their Drillhole 11-3729-01 in March of this year and went on to drill three more holes in order to further understand and confirm the area’s exploration potential.

Dr John Kelly of SLR Consulting Ireland Limited, who provided the original expert reporting on Drillhole 11-3729-01, was commissioned to review drill cores from the further three drill holes in the Tulla area.
His report confirms the presence of a potentially base-metal bearing hydrothermal system in the Tulla area, which enhances the prospect of licences in the region.

Commenting on the report and its findings, Dr Glenn Millar, managing director of IMC, said, “This report, with its positive findings, further confirms the directors’ conviction that the Tulla Prospecting Licence has the potential to host significant zinc and other base metal mineralisation. Together with the recent strong gold results in our Wexford licence areas, this is indeed an exciting time for IMC on the first anniversary of its listing on the Plus Market.

“We have found the characteristics (alteration signature) in the rocks that further confirms what we observed in the first Tulla drill hole. This is very positive, having been observed in a number of separate drill holes confirming that the Tulla area is highly prospective and we must continue our exploration in the area.

However, as I said before, it is a long, slow process, taking one step at a time. However, everything to date is very positive. More drilling will confirm the potential for a mine. It is too early to say at this stage,” he said.

IMC is to continue its focus on the Tulla area and has acknowledged that since they have confirmed their initial findings, that the area has potential, they will now proceed with geophysical and geochemical surveys in order to focus in on anomalously positive areas.

Dr Millar outlined that as their mining efforts intensify locally, there will be opportunities for job creation in the locality.

“We already have one more drill hole planned that we hope to commence very shortly. In the short term, there may be some temporary work available. If things progress, as they have done so far, we will be looking for more local assistance as our activities increase,” Dr Millar added.

The mineral exploration company described what it has found as “exciting” and “very encouraging”.

IMC Exploration has been operating a licence in the Tulla area since October 2011 and has described what characteristics they have found in the rock as very similar to what have been found in deposits at Silvermines, Lisheen and Galmoy.

Dr Millar concluded by saying, “IMC Exploration is committed to the long-term in the Tulla area in order to prove that this area has the potential for, and to discover, one more world-class Irish zinc deposit and subsequent mine.”