Viking fast-tracks US tungsten processing plan with global partner
Brought to you by BULLS AND BEARS
Bill McConnell
In a significant move to accelerate its tungsten ambitions in the US, Viking Mines has officially appointed tier 1 mineral processing specialist Mineral Technologies to lead a concept study for its flagship Linka tungsten project in Nevada.
The partnership with Downer Group subsidiary will focus on designing a low-cost, modular processing plant that will enable a “fast track” path to production and early cash flow.
The tie-up follows hot on the heels of outstanding metallurgical test results earlier this month showing Linka’s high-grade ore is suitable for simple and cost-effective processing.
Initial vision tests using basic gravity separation techniques achieved a significant 16-fold increase, increasing the 1.4 percent tungsten trioxide test feed to a 22.9 percent concentrate with an initial recovery of 63.7 percent.
‘MT’s involvement is key to our strategy to rapidly advance the Linka tungsten project.’
Julian Woodcock, managing director and chief executive of Viking Mines
With Mineral Technologies’ over 80 years of experience and reputation as a world leader in gravity separation, this partnership looks set to join forces with Viking’s rapid development strategy.
A key component of the participation will be the evaluation of Mineral Technologies’ proprietary “FlexSeries” modular processing units. These “plug and play” systems are pre-assembled off-site; This feature significantly shortens on-site construction times and eliminates risks to projects from potential labor shortages or weather delays. The compact and relocatable design also allows for easy expansion or redeployment as the project grows, the company says.
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive Julian Woodcock said: “With test work showing that mineralization is amenable to simple gravity separation, MT is a logical partner as we advance our engineering efforts. With APT tungsten prices reaching $2,200/mtu, the inherent value of our Nevada portfolio continues to grow.”
The move to lock down a processing route comes as Viking solidifies its dominant position in the US tungsten space. The company recently completed the digitization of a massive historical dataset for the Linka project and confirmed the existence of exceptionally high-order and thick intersections.
Historical data including 70 drill holes revealed significant tungsten hits at the Conquest prospect; these include 12.2m with 1.3 per cent tungsten from just 26.5m, including a sizzling 1.5m section with a 4.8 per cent tungsten rating. Other highlights of the Conquest include 22.9m with 0.6 per cent tungsten from 19.8m.
In the Linka Main and Hillside areas, historical drillings have yielded impressive results; these include 7.9 million with 0.9 percent tungsten from just 7.6 meters and a deeper strike of 9.8 meters with 0.5 percent tungsten from 61.9 meters.
In particular, the historical drilling at Conquest was shallow, averaging only 30 meters deep, leaving significant potential for extensions in depth and throughout the attack.
Viking’s work doubled the known mineralized corridor to 1.6 km after integrating historical surface sampling, which recovered 0.6 percent tungsten from a sample 800 meters southwest of the main Linka pit. The company believes this 1.6 km trend may represent only 29 percent of the much larger 5.5 km conceptual target surrounding a regional strike.
The strategic importance of Viking’s work is underscored by the tightening of US defense procurement restrictions on China-linked tungsten supplies; Viking points to a key deadline of December 2026 before wider restrictions come into force from January 2027. Since the United States currently has no commercial domestic tungsten mineral production and remains heavily dependent on imports, pressure to establish secure domestic resources is mounting.
This geopolitical factor, combined with rising tungsten prices above $2,200 per metric ton, created the perfect storm for Viking.
The company is now making progress on multiple fronts. Along with ongoing processing work with Mineral Technologies, Viking is also finalizing 3D geological models from newly digitized data to refine the objectives of the first drilling campaign planned for the June quarter.
In parallel, Viking is evaluating historical surface stocks with tungsten grades of up to 0.8 percent as a potential source for short-term production, further strengthening its accelerated strategy.
By systematically de-risking both its resource potential and processing flowsheet, Viking Mines is positioning itself as a key player in America’s urgent push for tungsten independence.
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