Minrex Launches 7,000m Drilling to Upgrade Barje Gold-Silver Resource
Minrex Resources has kicked off a fully funded 7,000-metre drilling program at its high-grade Barje Deposit in Serbia, aiming to convert inferred resources to indicated and update project economics by year-end.
- 7,000m drilling targets resource upgrade at Barje Deposit
- Focus on converting Inferred to Indicated Mineral Resources
- Initial assay results expected in September quarter
- Updated Mineral Resource Estimate and scoping study planned for year-end
- Historical drilling revealed significant high-grade gold and silver intercepts
Drilling Resumes at Barje After Seven-Year Hiatus
Minrex Resources Limited (ASX:MRR) has commenced its 2026 drilling program at the Barje Deposit, the flagship asset within its Tlamino Gold Project in southern Serbia. This marks the first drilling at Barje since 2018–2019, when the project was under previous ownership. The current campaign, managed by regional contractor Drillex International, aims to deliver approximately 7,000 metres of drilling focused on upgrading the deposit’s resource classification and testing extensions beyond the known mineralisation envelope.
Targeting Resource Confidence and Expansion
The program’s primary objective is to convert a significant portion of the existing NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resource, estimated at 670,000 ounces gold equivalent at 2.9 g/t AuEq, into the higher-confidence Indicated category. Minrex is concentrating initial drilling in the north-eastern section of Barje, where previous results have demonstrated shallow, high-grade gold and silver mineralisation. Notable historical intercepts include 30 metres at 5.45 g/t gold and 11 g/t silver, featuring a 9-metre interval grading 14.17 g/t gold, underscoring the deposit’s continuity and potential.
Supporting Updated Economic Assessment
Beyond resource classification, the drilling will test step-out targets east and west of the current resource envelope and explore the southern Barje–Liska corridor, where over one kilometre of prospective strike remains untested. These efforts aim to underpin an updated economic study reflecting contemporary metal prices, building on the 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment. Minrex expects to release initial assay results in the September quarter, with an updated Mineral Resource Estimate and refreshed scoping study targeted for around year-end.
Strategic Importance of Barje for Minrex’s Serbian Ambitions
CEO Max Piirto highlighted the significance of the drilling campaign, calling Barje a “pivotal moment” for the company. He emphasised the focus on infill drilling to tighten drill spacing and lift resource confidence, describing Barje as the type of near-surface, high-grade asset Minrex aims to advance. The campaign follows Minrex’s recent merger with Electrum Discovery Corp, which brought the Tlamino Gold Project into its portfolio and positioned the company for significant growth in the Balkan region.
Bottom Line?
Minrex’s drilling program at Barje sets the stage for a critical resource upgrade and economic reassessment, with assay results over the coming months likely to shape the project’s development trajectory.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the drilling confirm extensions beyond the current resource envelope at Barje?
- How might updated resource classifications impact Minrex’s project valuation and financing options?
- What are the implications of the updated economic study for potential mine development timelines?
