Latest Ore Reserve News

Astron Limited (ASX:ATR) says its Donald rare earths and mineral sands project is construction-ready, with a $759 million Phase 1 pre-tax NPV and first production targeted for 2028. The unresolved question is whether debt financing can convert the project’s strong study economics into a final investment decision.

Ballard Mining has lifted the Mt Ida Gold Project’s global Mineral Resource Estimate by 56% to 1.84 million ounces, led by a larger Baldock deposit and new regional resources. The increase gives the planned feasibility study a much larger technical base, although most of the resource remains Inferred and is not yet an Ore Reserve.

Medallion Metals has shifted from project preparation to execution, with Ravensthorpe fully permitted, Forrestania acquired and Cosmic Boy refurbishment underway. The transition is funded by cash, equity and a US$50 million Trafigura facility, but production delivery and rehabilitation liabilities remain substantial tests.

Horizon Gold’s annual report presents Gum Creek as a potential 880,000-ounce gold operation, but flags a material uncertainty over its ability to continue without further funding. The company is targeting a Final Investment Decision in Q2 2027 and first gold in the second half of 2028.

Castile Resources has emerged from FY2026 with a larger Rover 1 resource, stronger preliminary project economics and A$9.37 million in cash. The next challenge is converting a A$1.07 billion pre-tax NPV8 study into a funded, permitted mining project.

PC Gold’s Spring Hill project emerged from FY2026 with a sharply larger resource, fresh institutional funding and a clearer path towards feasibility studies. The gold explorer remains pre-production and loss-making, but its post-year-end A$75 million raise gives it substantial room to expand drilling and development work.

Metals Australia has reported a 50 Mt graphite resource, a maiden 21.51 Mt probable ore reserve and strong study-stage economics for its Quebec project. The opportunity is substantial, but the company ended the year with just AUD 3.73 million in cash and no mining revenue.

Tanami Gold has entered FY27 with funding in place for a 3,500-metre underground decline at Groundrush, after raising $70.5 million and reporting a 2.8 million ounce Central Tanami resource. The project remains in the study and resource-definition phase, with no Ore Reserve or production decision yet disclosed.

Historical work has identified widespread near-surface columbo-tantalite mineralisation at Australasian Metals’ Atex project in Côte d’Ivoire, adding a potential tantalum stream to its lithium strategy. The results are encouraging, but the underlying estimate is non-JORC, unverified and based on incomplete historical records.

Advance Metals has recorded its strongest silver assay yet at the Gavilanes Project in Mexico, with drilling also returning the project’s highest-grade zinc-lead interval. The mineralised system remains open at depth and to the southwest, while metallurgical work and further drilling target a maiden JORC resource in the December quarter of 2026.

Rox Resources is pitching Youanmi as a fully funded, near-term gold producer while outlining an ambition to lift output beyond 150,000 ounces a year. The mine’s initial plan remains materially smaller, with first gold targeted for mid-2027 and average production of about 117,000 ounces a year.

Adavale Resources has lifted its Parkes Project gold inventory to 383,300 ounces, led by a 228% increase at London-Victoria after an 85-hole drilling campaign. The company is now moving from resource definition towards metallurgical testing and a Scoping Study, although no production decision or project economics has been disclosed.