Alligator Energy Completes Successful Samphire Field Recovery Trial, Validates Uranium ISR Mining Technology

Pattern 1 Results Confirm Industry-Leading Uranium Recovery Performance

Pattern 1 of the Samphire Field Recovery Trial delivered outcomes that meet or surpass the assumptions underlying Alligator Energy’s Scoping Study and compare favourably with global ISR industry benchmarks. This pattern targeted ore representative of the Blackbush deposit areas slated for future wellfield development under the Feasibility Study. Pattern 1 achieved approximately 70% uranium recovery at around 70 PVEs, a key technical metric indicating the volume of solution cycled relative to the ore zone’s pore volume.

The pregnant liquor stream (PLS) extracted averaged 115 mg/L U8O8 in grade, with peak flow rates reaching 5 litres per second. These figures confirm favourable grade, permeability, and recovery characteristics relative to typical ISR operations worldwide. Pattern 1’s success reflects the geological and hydrogeological conditions expected across the main resource area, providing a robust basis for planning and forecasting commercial wellfield performance at Samphire.

Pattern 2 Validates ISR Feasibility Across Lower-Grade, Lower-Flow Deposit Margins

Pattern 2 was designed to evaluate medium-grade, low-flow extremities of the Blackbush deposit, conditions less typical of the main resource but potentially economic for future production phases. Operating for 54 days and completing 15 PVEs before conclusion, cumulative uranium recovery reached approximately 17%. The recovery curve aligned with expectations and supported a trajectory toward roughly 70% recovery by 70 PVEs.

The test ended after achieving primary technical objectives and establishing a reliable recovery trend for modelling. Crucially, Pattern 2’s cumulative recovery-per-PVE behaviour matched Pattern 1’s, confirming predictable uranium recovery across varied geological settings. This consistency enables a unified recovery modelling framework adaptable for local variations in flow rate, mineralised thickness, grade, and permeability, demonstrating ISR mining feasibility throughout Blackbush under diverse conditions.

Ion Exchange and Elution Efficiency Confirm Downstream Processing Effectiveness

The resin ion exchange circuit captured uranium from both patterns’ extraction streams at approximately 100% efficiency, validating the integrated chloride mitigation strategy and resin selection for future design. Sulphuric acid consumption remained within internationally recognised "highly favourable" ranges, indicating efficient leaching and minimal reagent loss during uranium mobilisation.

This successful ion exchange and elution (stripping) performance proves that uranium separation and purification processes are effective on actual field-recovered solutions, extending validation beyond laboratory testing to real-world ISR operational conditions. This provides confidence that the downstream processing plant will operate as intended during commercial production phases at Samphire.

Gypsum Precipitation Management Demonstrates Effective Process Control

Minor gypsum precipitation was observed during Pattern 1, a potential scaling issue that could impair wellfield performance if uncontrolled. Gypsum forms when calcium and sulphate ions exceed solubility limits, potentially reducing flow through the ore zone. However, Alligator Energy’s technical team managed this effectively in Pattern 2 by closely controlling injection chemistry, confirming that conventional chemistry control and standard operating procedures can mitigate this scaling risk.

This finding is significant as it shows that operational challenges identified early can be addressed through disciplined process management without altering the ISR methodology. Future wellfield operations will benefit from protocols established during the trial to prevent scaling issues before impacting uranium production or solution recovery efficiency.

Alligator Energy Achieves Key Technical Milestone in South Australian Uranium Development

Alligator Energy Ltd is an Australian mineral exploration and development company focused on uranium resources, with the Samphire project in South Australia as its primary asset. The company employs ISR technology for the Blackbush uranium deposit, dissolving uranium in situ via chemical leaching through injector wells, enabling extraction through central wells without traditional mining.

The successful completion of the Samphire Field Recovery Trial marks a pivotal technical and commercial achievement. CEO and Managing Director Andrea Marsland-Smith stated the trial met its goals by reducing uncertainty around wellfield design, production scheduling, and process assumptions, enhancing understanding of production conditions, and providing data to optimise Feasibility Study engineering design. The CEO praised the "considerable expertise, commitment and collaborative effort of our technical and operational teams," highlighting the trial’s complexity and rigour.

Advancing Feasibility Study and Ongoing Laboratory Optimisation

Data from the Samphire Field Recovery Trial will directly inform Feasibility Study design criteria and subsequent wellfield planning. The high-quality empirical data from two distinct geological and hydraulic settings enables Alligator Energy to transition from conceptual assumptions to engineering-validated parameters for commercial development. Consistent recovery behaviour and effective uranium capture provide a solid foundation for forecasting wellfield performance.

Beyond the Feasibility Study, further laboratory work will focus on reagent optimisation and process improvements identified during the trial. These efforts aim to enhance operational efficiency, reduce chemical consumption, and lower production costs. Reagent optimisation may target sulphuric acid use to reduce consumables while maintaining high uranium recovery rates. This iterative approach—combining field data with laboratory research—reflects best practices in advancing uranium ISR projects toward production readiness.

ISR Technology Positions Samphire for Lower Environmental and Capital Impact

In-situ recovery offers a uranium mining method fundamentally different from conventional open-pit or underground mining, with potential advantages in environmental footprint, water management, and capital requirements. ISR leaves the ore body intact and recovers uranium through chemical leaching via wells, requiring significantly less surface infrastructure. The Samphire Field Recovery Trial’s success is especially relevant to Australian uranium development, where environmental and regulatory factors heavily influence project viability and community acceptance.

The trial validated ISR technology’s applicability to Blackbush’s geological characteristics. Stable circulation, solution control, and extraction in both patterns—with no preferential flow or major pump downtime—demonstrate achievable wellfield hydraulic control and operational stability for commercial production. These outcomes reduce technical risk and assure stakeholders, regulators, and partners that Samphire can be engineered, constructed, and operated to industry-standard safety and performance levels.

Trial Design Bridges Laboratory and Commercial-Scale Development

The Field Recovery Trial featured two wellfield patterns with central extractor wells surrounded by four injector wells each, spaced 10 metres apart to 75 metres depth. This design tested a representative range of geological and hydrogeological conditions relevant to commercial wellfield development. Pattern 1 focused on representative ore conditions in the primary resource area, while Pattern 2 assessed lower-grade, lower-permeability margins to define the economic envelope for future production phases.

The successful demonstration of uranium mobilisation and recovery under field conditions, confirmation of hydraulic control and operational stability, and validation of ion exchange and elution on actual field solutions collectively resolve key technical uncertainties that previously limited confident development planning. Completing these validations before finalising the Feasibility Study establishes an empirical foundation for design criteria, operational assumptions, and production forecasts that would otherwise rely on laboratory data, industry analogues, and theoretical models. This evidence-based approach significantly strengthens the technical case for advancing Samphire toward financing and construction decisions.

Samphire Project’s Role Amid Australian Uranium Sector Trends

The Samphire Field Recovery Trial takes place amid renewed Australian uranium development interest, driven by global energy security concerns, rising clean energy demand, and advances in uranium extraction and processing technologies. Australia’s significant uranium resources and strict environmental and safety regulations make demonstrating technically sound and environmentally responsible extraction methods critical for project progress. Alligator Energy’s validation of ISR technology at Samphire positions the company to capitalize on potential uranium production growth if market and regulatory conditions remain favourable.

Sector dynamics also influence capital needs, project timelines, and stakeholder expectations. Completing a field-scale recovery trial represents tangible technical progress that typically boosts investor confidence and strengthens project financing applications. For Alligator Energy, these trial results provide the evidence base to advance from Scoping Study to Feasibility Study phases—key milestones investors track as indicators of commercial viability progress. High-quality, field-validated data reduce execution risks perceived by financial institutions, government agencies, and strategic partners evaluating involvement in the Samphire project.