On Romang Island, Indonesia, Robust is exploring highly prospective ground previously explored by Billiton in the late 1990s. The Company has drilled 83 holes for 9,847 m to date and is currently undertaking a +27,000 m drilling program which will lead to the Company announcing its maiden JORC resource in FY2011. Of these holes, over 90% (68) have intersected gold-silver and/or base metal mineralisation, which is an exceptionally high strike rate for exploration drilling.
Through its ongoing exploration program, Robust has identified that whilst originally a precious metals target, with the Company focusing on the near-surface gold and silver, that a significant poly metallic base metal discovery also exists at the Lakuwahi Project in the south of Romang, with thick intersections of economic base metals underlying the gold and silver deposit.
Looking to the future, following on from the JORC resource definition, Robust believes that development into production will lead to two processing streams from one open cut mine – precious and base metals.
At Lakuwahi, it is the Company’s intention to build a low cost open pit mining operation which due to the near surface location of the mineralisation will have a low-zero stripping ratio. Utilising gold-silver standard CIP/CIL technology, it is expected that Robust will be able to achieve average recoveries of 94-95% of the precious metals.
At this stage in exploration, the main target areas of base metals are yet to be drilled however initial results indicate that grades and thickness are open and increasing to the east – where increasing copper content has been identified. Robust has identified that the base metals potential is an emerging opportunity for the Company and one that is being actively pursued. From initial investigation, it appears that the mining should be relatively easy and low-cost due to the base metals sitting directly beneath the gold and silver.
In the north of Romang at the North Romang Project, initial exploration has demonstrated this target to be a porphyry system with the focus on gold and copper. Field crews are currently on site collecting data prior to the commencement of an IP-Resistivity survey in October 2010 with drilling to commence by the end of 2010.
Led by an experienced and motivated Board and Management, Robust is solely focussed on its 100% owned Indonesian assets, in what is a very stable political and economic environment. With $7.4 million in the bank and no debt, Robust is in a strong position to progress Romang Island into a world class resource.