Nex Metals and WTAC JV Expands East Scotia Gold Project to 873 km² with New Licence Applications

East Scotia Project Footprint Nearly Quintuples

Nex Metals Explorations Ltd (ASX:NME) and its Aboriginal partner Wangkatja Tjungula Aboriginal Corporation (WTAC) have taken a major step forward in their joint venture by submitting four new Exploration Licence Applications that, if granted, will expand the East Scotia Gold Project to a sprawling 873.1 square kilometres. This represents a substantial increase from the initial 135.1 km² covered by three granted Exploration Licences and one Prospecting Licence acquired from Kalgoorlie Mining Associates.

The enlarged project now covers a significant swathe of the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, an area renowned for its gold endowment but one that the joint venture notes has seen relatively little modern systematic exploration, especially in the newly applied northern blocks.

Strategic Location Near Established Gold Camps

Geologically, the East Scotia Project is positioned on the northern edge of the Scotia–Kanowna Granodiorite, a key feature within the Kalgoorlie Greenstone Terrane. This places it in the broader structural and mineralisation setting of the Golden Cities and Kanowna Belle mining complexes, two historically prolific gold camps. While the presence of nearby mineralisation does not guarantee discoveries within the project area, the joint venture is banking on analogous mineralisation styles that could emerge from this underexplored terrain.

The project area is also structurally complex, intersected by major regional features such as the Mount Monger Fault and the Bardoc Shear zone, which are known controls on gold mineralisation elsewhere in the region.

Pending Approvals and Planned Exploration

The four new Exploration Licence Applications cover approximately 738 square kilometres and remain subject to statutory grant processes. Until granted, the joint venture holds no right to conduct exploration on these blocks. Completion of the acquisition of the existing tenements is also pending, with transfer conditions yet to be satisfied.

Managing Director Ken Allen emphasised the joint venture’s aggressive approach to expanding its Western Australian gold portfolio, underscoring the need to advance statutory approvals while simultaneously planning the geological work required to prioritise targets across the enlarged footprint.

Initial field programs are expected to focus on extensive auger geochemistry and geological reconnaissance aimed at ground-truthing existing geological and geophysical datasets, improving understanding of the local geology, and identifying priority zones for follow-up exploration.

Joint Venture Framework Supports Sustainable Growth

The Nex Wongatha JV Pty Ltd partnership combines technical expertise and Aboriginal knowledge, creating a platform to pursue gold opportunities sustainably in Western Australia. Alongside East Scotia, the joint venture’s portfolio includes the West Point Gold Project and the Kookynie Tailings Project, the latter of which is progressing with a General Purpose Lease Application and promising metallurgical test results showing up to 71% gold recovery and potential tungsten by-products.

This broader portfolio strategy positions Nex Metals and WTAC to leverage complementary strengths and funding capacity, aiming to establish a significant long-term presence in the state’s mining sector.