Empire awarded exploration licenses at its Bulqiza Chromite Project

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Empire Mining Corporation last week announced it had been awarded four Exploration Licenses at its Bulqiza chromite project in eastern Albania.
Lat May it announced it had been awarded an Exclusive Prospecting Permit covering the most prospective geological terrain within the productive Bulqiza Ultramafic Massif in eastern Albania. The Prospecting Permit provided the exclusive option to acquire exploration rights within the Prospecting Permit area.
The Exploration Licenses cover 64.5 km2, in four discrete project areas containing numerous chromite showings, prospects and past-producing mines. The licenses provide exclusive rights for conversion to Mining Permits.
David Cliff, President and CEO of Empire, said, “The Bulqiza district is known to contain some of the highest quality chromite deposits in the world. We are therefore very pleased that the Albanian government is persuaded that our proposal to consolidate much of the Bulqiza district reflects recognition that Empire has assembled the technical, financial and operating capability to undertake the required evaluation and planning for a substantial re-development of the country’s chromite industry expected to be focused on the Bulqiza district.”
The Bulqiza chromite deposits are noted for exceptional continuity along strike and dip and rank among the largest ophiolite-hosted, folded stratiform occurrences in the world. The ores are characterized by high grades (+40% Cr2O3) and metallurgical quality (CrFe ratios of 3:1) and command premium prices in global markets. Prior to the collapse of communism in the late 1980’s the Albanian chromite industry, anchored by the famous Bulqiza Mine, was the third largest producer in the world.
The current Empire program consists of compilation and interpretation of the extensive historic data base assembled by the Albanian Geological Survey and the former state company, Albkrom, during the communist era. The Company’s initial objective is to re-confirm state-defined resources, principally at the Batra and Thekna mines, and implement drilling and underground development programs necessary to expand existing resources and upgrade them to 43-101 standards.