Latest Heap Leaching News

Alliance Nickel has begun vat leach testing on a bulk sample from its NiWest project, targeting a significant reduction in capital costs by replacing heap leaching with a lower-cost atmospheric process. Results are expected by late Q3 2026 and could reshape the project’s economics.

Australian Rare Earths (ASX: AR3) has announced a maiden Ore Reserve of 26 million tonnes at 920 ppm TREO for its Koppamurra Rare Earths Project, underpinned by a robust Pre-Feasibility Study delivering an A$858 million post-tax NPV and a rapid payback of less than one year.

Cyprium Metals has marked a significant milestone with the first sulphuric acid delivery to its Nifty Copper Complex in 20 years, signaling a shift from construction to commissioning. The Phase 1 Copper Cathode Restart project is advancing rapidly, with key infrastructure and operational systems nearing completion.

Alliance Nickel has pushed out the maturity of its unsecured loans by a year to June 2027, increasing the interest rate from 12% to 13%. This move provides ongoing funding as the company advances strategic discussions around its NiWest nickel-cobalt project.

Pacgold has poured its second gold doré bar at White Dam and is fast-tracking plans to restart mining at Vertigo pit six months ahead of schedule.

Atomic Eagle Limited has obtained crucial environmental and social approvals for its Muntanga Uranium Project in Zambia, significantly reducing permitting risk and positioning the project as development-ready while maintaining focus on resource expansion.

OzAurum Resources has completed its extensive grade control drilling at Mulgabbie North, delivering consistent high-grade gold intercepts at shallow depths and progressing site civil works for heap leach infrastructure.

Rimfire Pacific Mining’s initial metallurgical tests at the Murga Scandium Deposit reveal promising scandium recoveries using atmospheric leaching, a less complex method than industry norms. The company has launched longer-term tests to validate these findings, potentially reshaping the economics of its Fifield scandium resources.

Sentinel Metals has successfully completed its first diamond drill hole at the Columbia Gold-Silver Project, intersecting a hydrothermal breccia zone beneath the historically targeted oxide horizon, validating a geophysical conductor and opening new exploration avenues.

Maiden drilling at Austral Resources' Canyon Prospect reveals a significant copper oxide system extending over 1.2km strike near the Mt Kelly SX-EW facility, with intercepts including 24m at 1.03% copper. The mineralisation remains open, offering substantial upside and potential to leverage existing processing infrastructure.

Red Metal’s large-scale column leach tests confirm high rare earth recoveries from coarsely crushed Sybella ores using weak sulphuric acid, underpinning a low-cost heap leach development pathway.

Turaco Gold’s pre-feasibility study for the Afema Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire reveals a maiden 1.91 million ounce Probable Ore Reserve and robust project economics, underpinning a 10.3-year mine life producing over 2 million ounces of gold.