ASX-listed Pioneer Lithium has secured and reviewed a significant body of historical exploration data for the Warmbad uranium project, located in Namibia’s southern uranium corridor.

The dataset, sourced directly from the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy, confirms the presence of extensive, thick zones of uranium mineralisation consistent with the alaskite-hosted system seen at Namibia’s Rossing mine, one of the world’s largest uranium operations and the type of locality for this deposit style, the company points out.

Between 2007 and 2009, previous explorer Xemplar Energy undertook a comprehensive drilling programme across the Warmbad tenement, completing 161 reverse circulation holes and 11 diamond drill holes for a total of 31 685 m.

These efforts defined three priority mineralised zones, Areas 1, 3 and 5, each demonstrating strong continuity of uranium mineralisation within alaskitic granites and clear potential for expansion.

With this dataset now in hand, Pioneer says it has a material advantage to accelerate resource definition work across a highly prospective and underexplored uranium system.

The Warmbad project spans 271 km² under exclusive prospecting licence 8838 and is located within the Namaqua Metamorphic Complex, a known uranium-bearing province where mineralisation typically occurs within leucocratic alaskitic intrusions.

At Warmbad, uranium is structurally controlled along fold hinges and northeast-trending faults within granite-hosted systems, directly analogous to the setting at Rossing.

Drilling at Area 5 returned multiple thick intercepts of uranium mineralisation, with individual holes recording cumulative uranium contents of up to 1% cumulative grade thickness triuranium octoxide and several holes intersecting mineralisation over downhole intervals exceeding 50 m.

These zones remain open in multiple directions and at depth, presenting clear vectors for immediate follow-up.

While the quality of the historic drilling is generally robust, certain technical aspects, including the absence of downhole deviation surveys and the lack of core orientation in diamond drilling, mean the dataset does not currently meet the standards required for a Joint Ore Reserve Committee-compliant mineral resource estimate (MRE).

Pioneer plans to address this with a targeted drilling programme scheduled to start in the second half of the year.

The company’s objectives are to validate and extend historical results, enhance geological understanding, and advance the project toward a maiden MRE.

“Warmbad gives Pioneer an immediate presence in a globally respected uranium jurisdiction with scale, geology, and infrastructure. This is a project that comes with over 30 000 m of drilling already completed, with consistent mineralisation across multiple zones and strong indications of system size.

“It’s rare to gain access to a project of this calibre at such an advanced stage. With nuclear energy reasserting itself as a cornerstone of global energy policy, we are confident that Warmbad will become a flagship asset for Pioneer and a key contributor to our growth strategy,” highlights CEO Michael Beven.