How West Cobar Metals Is Unlocking New Critical Mineral Riches Across Australia
West Cobar Metals is making significant progress across its Salazar, Bulla Park, and Mystique projects, initiating metallurgical testwork and planning drilling programs that could reshape resource estimates and project economics.
- Metallurgical testwork underway at Salazar targeting rare earth carbonate production
- Potential inclusion of gallium in Salazar resource estimates under review
- Re-assaying at Bulla Park indicates higher antimony grades than previously reported
- Planned drilling at Bulla Park to explore higher-grade copper-antimony zones
- Mystique Gold Project confirms widespread gold presence with expanded tenement applications
Salazar Project, Unlocking Critical Minerals
West Cobar Metals has commenced a comprehensive metallurgical testwork program at its Salazar Critical Mineral Project in Western Australia, focusing on the potential for a heap leach operation. This lower-cost processing method is being evaluated to extract rare earth elements (REEs), with a priority on producing a rare earth carbonate product. The testwork also monitors scandium and gallium, the latter being a valuable critical mineral with applications in electronics and renewable energy technologies.
The company is reviewing its extensive Salazar database to potentially include gallium in its Mineral Resource estimate, which already encompasses significant quantities of REEs, scandium, titanium dioxide, and alumina. This could add a new product stream and enhance the project's economic profile. West Cobar is also engaging with US government initiatives to secure funding support, reflecting the strategic importance of these critical minerals in global supply chains.
Bulla Park, Reassessing Antimony and Expanding Drilling
At the Bulla Park Copper Antimony Project in New South Wales, re-assaying of drill core samples using a peroxide-fusion digest method has revealed that previous antimony grades were under-reported by an average of 14%, with some samples showing increases up to 62%. This finding could materially enhance the value of the existing inferred resource, which currently stands at 20 million tonnes grading 0.58% copper equivalent.
West Cobar is designing a reverse circulation and diamond drilling program targeting higher-grade zones within a large gravity anomaly area. The thick, shallow mineralisation identified suggests potential for bulk open-pit mining. Metallurgical testwork to date has demonstrated strong recoveries for copper, antimony, and silver, supporting the project's development prospects.
Mystique Gold Project, Confirming Gold Potential
Recent aircore drilling at the Mystique Gold Project in Western Australia has confirmed widespread gold mineralisation associated with structural trends. The company has applied for an additional 639 square kilometres of prospective ground adjacent to Mystique, signaling confidence in the region's potential. Detailed reviews with regional experts are underway to plan follow-up drilling and further exploration activities.
West Cobar Metals is thus advancing a diversified portfolio of critical and base metals projects, each at a pivotal stage of technical evaluation and resource expansion. These developments position the company to potentially unlock significant value as global demand for critical minerals and metals continues to grow.
Bottom Line?
With metallurgical and drilling programs underway, West Cobar Metals is poised to redefine its resource base and attract strategic investment amid rising critical mineral demand.
Questions in the middle?
- How will the inclusion of gallium impact the overall economics of the Salazar project?
- What are the timelines and expected outcomes for the upcoming Bulla Park drilling program?
- How might US government funding influence the development pace of the Salazar Critical Mineral Project?
