Solstice Secures $200K EIS Grant to Boost Nanadie Drilling

• Maximum $200K EIS co-funded drilling grant awarded
• Additional $50K allowance for fuel supply challenges
• Funding targets deep plunge extensions and IP targets
• Nanadie hosts 40.4Mt inferred resource at 0.4% Cu and 0.1g/t Au
• Grant validates project quality amid aggressive 2026 drilling

Government Endorsement Fuels Nanadie Expansion

Solstice Minerals (ASX:SLS) has secured the maximum $200,000 co-funded drilling grant under Round 33 of the Western Australian Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS), a significant vote of confidence in the company’s Nanadie Copper-Gold Project. The grant, which covers 50% of direct drilling costs, is complemented by an additional $50,000 allowance to help offset fuel supply chain pressures, potentially bringing total support to $250,000.

This injection of capital arrives as Solstice prepares to ramp up its 2026 exploration campaign, focusing on step-down reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling designed to test southward plunge extensions and induced polarisation (IP) geophysical targets well beyond existing drilling boundaries. The program aims to deepen geological insights and expand the footprint of the deposit, which already boasts an inferred Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 40.4 million tonnes grading 0.4% copper and 0.1 grams per tonne gold.

Building on High-Grade Intercepts and Resource Foundations

Recent drilling at Nanadie has delivered encouraging results, including wide, high-grade copper-gold intercepts such as 62 metres at 1.55% copper and 0.66 grams per tonne gold. These outcomes underscore the deposit’s growth potential along strike, down-plunge, and at depth, with ongoing diamond and RC drilling programs advancing this narrative. The EIS grant not only eases financial pressure but also independently validates the project’s quality within a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction.

Solstice’s CEO Nick Castleden highlighted the grant as a strong endorsement from the WA Government, enabling accelerated testing of higher-grade copper zones and step-out targets. The company is also investigating whether Nanadie represents an upper structurally remobilised portion of an intrusive-related magmatic sulphide system, akin to the nearby Stark Prospect situated 800 metres east.

Strategic Positioning in a Robust Copper-Gold Landscape

Nanadie’s substantial resource base includes 162,000 tonnes of copper and 130,000 ounces of gold, predominantly hosted in fresh rock below 40 metres depth. The deposit features disseminated and remobilised sulphide veinlet-style chalcopyrite mineralisation over a 150-metre width and 1-kilometre length, with significant zones exceeding 1% copper where sulphide veining intensifies.

Solstice’s recent capital raises, including a $32.6 million placement, have bolstered its balance sheet, positioning the company to aggressively pursue resource expansion and feasibility studies. The EIS grant dovetails with this momentum, providing targeted financial support for drilling activities that could materially enhance the project’s scale and value.

The upcoming drill program is expected to commence imminently, subject to grant conditions, and will integrate with Solstice’s broader 2026 RC and diamond drilling campaign at Nanadie. Early indications from recent deep diamond drillhole extension and high-grade intercepts delivery suggest the project remains open for substantial growth.

Bottom Line?

The EIS grant accelerates Solstice’s ability to test Nanadie’s deeper and peripheral targets, but the ultimate impact hinges on forthcoming drill results and resource updates.

Questions in the middle?

• Will the upcoming drilling confirm extensions that significantly increase Nanadie’s resource base?
• How might fuel supply challenges affect the pace and cost of the 2026 drilling campaign despite the additional allowance?
• Could the potential link to an intrusive-related magmatic sulphide system reshape the geological model and exploration strategy?