Val Vedello
65km historical diamond drilling | 11km underground mine development
The Val Vedello Project is Reveille Resources’ flagship uranium asset and represents Italy’s largest historical uranium deposit.
Located in the Province of Sondrio, Northern Italy, the project was extensively explored and developed by AGIP Nucleare, a subsidiary of ENI, during Italy’s national nuclear programme between the 1970s and early 1980s.
Today, Reveille Resources is seeking to unlock the value created through decades of historical exploration by validating the historical database and preparing a mineral resource estimate in accordance with internationally recognised reporting standards.
Historical exploration identified an estimated 13.2 million lbs U₃O₈, making Val Vedello one of the most significant historical uranium projects in Europe
Project highlights
- Italy’s largest historical uranium deposit
- Historical resource estimate of 13.2 million lbs U₃O₈ at an average grade of 0.08% U₃O₈
- Approximately 65,000 metres of historical diamond drilling
- Approximately 11 kilometres of underground mine development
- Extensive exploration completed by AGIP Nucleare during Italy’s national nuclear programme
- Located in the Province of Sondrio, Northern Italy
- Exploration Permit application progressing through the regulatory approval process, subject to completion of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA/VIA) process and receipt of all required regulatory approvals
Decades of historical exploration
Val Vedello is one of the most extensively explored historical uranium deposits in Italy.
Between 1975 and 1983, AGIP Nucleare completed an extensive exploration programme comprising geological mapping, underground mine development, diamond drilling, radiometric surveys, underground sampling and technical studies.
Historical records indicate that approximately 65,000 metres of drilling and 11 kilometres of underground development were completed, representing an exceptionally advanced stage of exploration.
Opportunity for modern Resource Definition
Despite the scale of the historical exploration programme, Val Vedello has never been evaluated under modern international reporting standards such as the JORC Code (2012) or other recognised mineral reporting codes.
This approach has the potential to significantly reduce both exploration risk and future development timelines compared with a conventional greenfield uranium discovery.
Reveille believes the extensive historical geological database provides an exceptional foundation to:
- Validate historical exploration results
- Digitise and integrate historical geological information
- Complete confirmation drilling where required
- Prepare a modern Mineral Resource Estimate
- Assess future development potential
Existing underground infrastructure
A key advantage of Val Vedello is its extensive underground infrastructure.
Rather than relying exclusively on surface drilling, the existing underground workings provide direct access to known mineralised zones, allowing future exploration programmes to be undertaken with a substantially reduced surface footprint.
Subject to regulatory approvals, the Company intends to utilise these workings for:
- Underground diamond drilling
- Channel sampling
- Radiometric logging
- Geological mapping
- Evaluation of historical ore stockpiles
Proposed exploration programme
Following receipt of all required regulatory approvals, Reveille intends to commence a phased exploration programme designed to validate and expand the historical geological database.
The proposed work programme includes:
- Up to 21,340 metres of underground diamond drilling
- Channel sampling of mineralised underground levels
- Radiometric logging of historical drill holes
- Geological mapping
- Evaluation of historical stockpiles
- Preparation of a Mineral Resource Estimate in accordance with internationally recognised reporting standards
Geology
Val Vedello hosts structurally controlled uranium mineralisation comprising pitchblende, uraninite and brannerite, occurring at the contact between the crystalline basement and the Lower Permian volcaniclastic sequence.
Regulatory status
Reveille’s wholly owned Italian subsidiary, Futuro Energetico Italiano S.r.l., has submitted an application for an Exploration Permit covering the Val Vedello Project.
The application has been accepted and is progressing through the regulatory approval process.
The grant of the Exploration Permit remains subject to completion of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA/VIA) process and the receipt of all required regulatory approvals.