Sabre Resources Secures Drilling Approval for Tennant Creek Copper-Gold Targets

Drilling Greenlight at Kurundi North Targets High-Grade Copper-Gold

Sabre Resources (ASX:SBR) has secured a crucial Environmental Mining Licence from the Northern Territory government, greenlighting a maiden drilling campaign at its Kurundi North Project. The program, designed to test standout iron-oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) targets under shallow cover, will extend up to 5,000 metres of aircore and reverse circulation drilling. This comes as Sabre prepares for a pivotal shareholder vote on 30 June to approve its acquisition of Brema Resources and North Tennant Minerals, owners of extensive project areas in the Tennant Creek region.

Kurundi North Lies on Extensions of World-Class Mineral Field

Situated 80 kilometres southeast of Tennant Creek, Kurundi North occupies a strategic position along the East Tennant Ridge IOCG corridor, a structural zone hosting some of Australia's most prolific copper-gold deposits. The nearby Warrego deposit alone has historically yielded 6.8 million tonnes at 6.6 grams per tonne gold and 1.9% copper. Sabre’s targets exhibit gravity and magnetic signatures reminiscent of Tennant Creek ironstone-hosted systems and sit beneath copper-gold-bismuth soil anomalies, suggesting a promising mineralisation footprint.

Exploration Set to Ride Regional Renaissance

The Tennant Creek district is undergoing a notable resurgence, fuelled by corporate consolidation and resource expansions. Recent transactions include South African miner Pan African Resources’ $54 million acquisition of Tennant Creek Consolidated Mining and its $311 million takeover of Emmerson Resources (ASX:EME), the region's largest tenement holder. These moves coincide with major resource growth at deposits like White Devil and Warrego, as well as significant new discoveries at Rover 1 (Castille Resources, ASX:CST) and Bluebird (Tennant Minerals, ASX:TMS). Sabre’s entry via its acquisition positions it to capitalise on this momentum with multiple drill-ready targets across a combined 4,000 square kilometres portfolio.

Drilling Program Details and Funding Prospects

The upcoming Kurundi North drilling will focus on three one-kilometre spaced sections within a 12-kilometre structural corridor, testing the Warramunga Formation bedrock known to host Tennant Creek’s high-grade mineralisation. Drilling contracts are being finalised, with operations slated to commence shortly after shareholder approval. Sabre has also applied for 50% co-funding from the NT government to support a follow-up program involving deeper reverse circulation and diamond drilling, contingent on initial results.

Broader Northern Territory Portfolio Targets Critical Metals and Uranium

Beyond Kurundi North, Sabre’s existing Northern Territory assets include over 1,000 square kilometres in the Ngalia Basin and southern Arunta Block, areas prospective for uranium, rare earth elements (REE), and critical metals. Notably, the Dingo Project has revealed significant REE anomalies, with elevated concentrations of neodymium and praseodymium, alongside critical metals like bismuth and copper at Rankins North. Planned aircore drilling aims to follow up these encouraging geochemical signatures, while other tenements target base and precious metals as well as uranium mineralisation analogous to the nearby Bigrlyi and Napperby deposits.

CEO Highlights Strategic Timing and Growth Potential

Sabre CEO Jon Dugdale emphasised the transformative nature of the acquisition and the drilling program, noting the company’s strong positioning in a region "really hotting up" with exploration and corporate activity. He outlined a phased approach, starting with Kurundi North, followed by testing high-grade intersections at North Arunta, and progressing to deeper drilling. Dugdale’s extensive experience underpins confidence in the project’s potential to unlock extensions or repeats of the Tennant Creek mineral field.