Australian mining company Western Mines Group has received two awards totalling A$440,000 ($281,256) for further drilling at the Mulga Tank nickel-copper-platinum group elements project in Western Australia (WA).
The financial support was granted under the WA State Government’s Co-funded Exploration Drilling Programme, part of the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS). The company was successful in both of its two applications in EIS Round 31.
The Mulga Tank project is located on the Minigwal Greenstone Belt in the Eastern Goldfields region of WA.
The first award of a maximum of A$220,000 was allocated to drill a deep exploration hole within the main body of the Mulga Tank complex, targeting a sulphide-enriched area near higher-grade geochemical results.
The second maximum award of A$220,000 will support drilling two diamond holes to explore a komatiite channel system within tenement E39/2134, located north of the main body of the Mulga Tank complex.
Western Mines plans to commence drilling any time after 1 June 2025, as part of its exploration plans for the year.
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By GlobalDataThe latest funding will enable Western Mines to drill another deep diamond hole over 1.5km, following up on previous successful drilling programme aided by EIS awards in Rounds 26 and 28.
Western Mines started deep diamond drilling at its Mulga Tank project in April last year.
The upcoming hole aims to target the eastern portion of the MobileMT anomaly at the base of the intrusion.
In addition to the main body drilling, the company will drill two diamond holes to investigate a 1.3km-long komatiite body, aiming to reach the basal contact not previously accessed by shallower reverse circulation holes.
This drilling will record the stratigraphy of the komatiite system and target visible nickel sulphide mineralisation.
Western Mines Group chairman Rex Turkington said: “Once again, congratulations and great work by Caedmon, Ben and the exploration team in our fourth successful EIS application round – especially to again receive two awards in this round, both for the maximum amount of $220,000 for deep diamond drilling.
The first award will be used to drill another exciting deep hole aimed at testing the significant MobileMT target at the base of the Mulga Tank Complex. The second award will step out to test the komatiite channels up the belt, looking to capture the stratigraphy of the system and target the basal contact. Previous EIS drilling has been very successful and we hope that continues.”
The Australian Government has offered A$11.2m across three EIS programmes including Round 31, Series 8 of the Energy Analysis Programme (EAP) and Venture 2 of the Co-funded Geophysics Programme.
A total of 49 projects will be funded with A$7.8m for drilling, 25 geophysics ventures with A$3.2m and three EAP projects with A$200,000.
