Ardea winds up Goldfields drilling program for nickel resource upgrade
The DFS's significant $98.5 million budget is being funded by Japanese giants Sumitomo Metal Mining Co and Mitsubishi Corporation.
Ardea subsidiary Kalgoorlie Nickel Pty Ltd is managing the DFS work program on behalf of the consortium companies to complete the DFS and move the project closer to development status. The consortium companies will contribute a total of $46.1 million to help complete the DFS, representing about 47 per cent of anticipated DFS expenditure.
Ardea signed a 50:50 joint venture (JV) agreement with the exploration giants in April of last year to meet the expected increased demand for nickel to help fuel a global green energy transition.
The three parties joined forced when Sumitomo sent an unsolicited email to Ardea expressing initial interest in the project, and Ardea was introduced to Mitsubishi management via the Australian Government-owned Export Finance Australia program.
Ardea believes the project could become a multi-decade, low-cost nickel and cobalt producer. The key metals are used in electric vehicle batteries and alloys to strengthen and improve steel.
The company's latest drilling program increased the density of drill holes to enable a resource classification upgrade and assist with early mine planning.
Ardea says it has made further management and technical appointments during the month, including strengthening the project team by filling important roles for a head of approvals and compliance.
The infill drilling program comprised 727 holes for 45,735 metres across five deposits. At Goongarrie South, 28 holes were drilled for 1938m to support Ardea's resource classification and increase its confidence in the mineral inventory.
Four diamond holes were drilled at Goongarrie Hill to provide quality assurance and control using twin holes for the DFS. A diamond rig is still on site drilling large diameter holes to triple the metallurgical sample holes across the Goongarrie South, Big Four-Scotia Dam and Highway deposits.
The company commenced wireframing at Big Four-Scotia Dam and is undertaking similar activities at the Goongarrie South and Highway deposits. It says the initial wireframes will help geostatistical analysis and preliminary resource estimation.
Ardea has also made several key design and engineering improvements for the proposed process plant. Testwork on its all-important ore indicated the material was generally soft to medium-hard, with no hard ores identified, which bodes well for ease of future processing.
The company is also making progress with the necessary baseline environmental studies, native title discussions and heritage agreements.
The imposing Kalgoorlie nickel project-Goongarrie hub is 70 kilometres northwest of Kalgoorlie and contains a significant number of nickel-cobalt and critical mineral deposits.
A whopping total resource of 854 million tonnes at 0.71 per cent nickel and 0.045 per cent cobalt for 6.1Mt of contained nickel and 386,000t of cobalt is locked and loaded within its Goongarrie, Kalpini and Yerilla hubs.
Goongarrie hosts a 584Mt mineral resource at 0.69 per cent nickel and 0.043 per cent cobalt for 4.044Mt of contained nickel and 250,000t of cobalt.
Kalpini and Yerilla hold 270Mt grading 0.76 per cent nickel and 0.05 per cent cobalt for 2.056Mt of nickel and 136,000t of cobalt.
Ardea is patiently nudging its mammoth project step-by-step towards development and may end up producing the valuable metals to coincide with electric vehicle makers' and industry's screams for more of the high-quality, clean Aussie minerals.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
matt.birney@wanews.com.au
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
8 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Nissan X-Trail Nismo teased ahead of imminent debut
The Nissan X-Trail is getting a sporty Nismo makeover, but it hasn't been confirmed for our market. 'For the Japanese domestic market a new X-Trail NISMO will be revealed tomorrow. All details will be revealed then,' said Nissan Australia spokesperson. The new Nismo flagship will be revealed at 11:00am AEST on August 21, 2025. It's expected to top a facelifted X-Trail lineup that, according to Japanese outlet Creative Trend, will also include a rugged-looking Rock Creek variant. The facelifted X-Trail range will reportedly go on sale in Japan in September. Nissan Australia hasn't confirmed when the wider facelifted X-Trail lineup will arrive in Australia. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Nissan. Click here to get a great deal. As seen in the single teaser image released by Nissan, the X-Trail Nismo has prominent red accents on its front bumper as well as what appears to be a unique grille. According to Creative Trend, it'll get the following unique equipment: Nismo-exclusive grille, bumpers, mirror caps Available Nismo Stealth Grey paint with a Super Black roof Black roof rails Enkei 20-inch alloy wheels Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres Nismo-exclusive fabric and leatherette upholstery There'll also be red stitching for the seats, steering wheel, dashboard, armrest and doors, as well as other Nismo touches like a red-accented start button. A set of leather and Alcantara-clad Recaro sports seats will reportedly be an additional option. Above: Nissan Note Aura Nismo Creative Trend reports the X-Trail Nismo will be offered only in e-Power with e-4orce form, meaning a series hybrid powertrain with all-wheel drive, and exclusively with five seats. However, it reportedly won't get any extra power. The current X-Trail e-Power with e-4orce has a 105kW/250Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine mated with 150kW/330Nm front and 100kW/195Nm rear electric motors. However, mechnical upgrades are expected to include retuned steering and suspension, as well as tweaks to the all-wheel drive system. Above: Current Nissan X-Trail It's not the first Nissan to get a Nismo makeover. Besides the Z Nismo sports car sold here, Nissan offers Nismo-fettled versions of its Ariya, Leaf, Note and Skyline in Japan, all featuring a raft of aesthetic and mechanical enhancements – though not always offering more power than the models upon which they're based. The X-Trail Nismo will give Nissan an alternative to sporty mid-size SUVs like the petrol-powered Volkswagen Tiguan 195TSI R Line and the upcoming plug-in hybrid Toyota RAV4 GR Sport, and will slot in atop a refreshed X-Trail lineup. According to Creative Trend, changes across the range will reportedly include a new grille and front bumper, as well as fresh wheel designs. Inside, the facelifted X-Trail will reportedly get a black upper dash and doors, replacing the existing brown, plus USB-C outlets to replace the USB-A outlets, a new infotainment system with Google built-in, and a 3D view for the available surround-view camera. However, the Japanese website says tri-zone climate control has been removed, while ventilated front seats haven't been added like on the related Mitsubishi Outlander. Above: Nissan Rogue Rock Creek Not only is the facelifted X-Trail set to get a sporty Nismo flagship, it's also getting a Rock Creek edition like that offered with the almost identical Nissan Rogue built in the US. This more rugged variant will reportedly also be offered exclusively in e-Power with e-4orce guise, albeit with a choice of five- or seven-seat configurations. Standard features will reportedly include black 19-inch wheels with orange accents, wrapped in all-terrain tyres, as well as a unique front bumper and grille, plus waterproof trim and orange stitching inside. The X-Trail Rock Creek will also reportedly be available with the same 'hero' paint scheme – Canyon Beige, with a Super Black roof – as the Rogue Rock Creek, along with a range of other exterior colours. Launched in the US-market Rogue for 2025, the Rock Creek grade brings a unique front fascia, a tubular roof rack with integrated cross bars, and 17-inch satin black wheels wrapped in 235/65R17 Falken Wild Peak all-terrain tyres. Inside, there's water-repellant leatherette upholstery and Lava Red accent stitching. Notably, there are no mechanical enhancements for either the US-market Rogue Rock Creek or the upcoming X-Trail Rock Creek, making it more equivalent to a Subaru Forester Sport than the tougher Forester Wilderness offered overseas. It'll battle not only the Forester Sport but also the upcoming Toyota RAV4 Adventure/Woodland, and replace the Japanese-market X-Trail Extremer X, which is effectively the same as our local N-Trek. The launch of a facelifted X-Trail comes almost two years after the related Rogue received a refresh in the US, bringing revised front- and rear-end styling, new interior trim, and an available 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring Google built-in. Above: 2026 Nissan Rogue Nissan also ditched USB-A outlets for USB-C outlets. The reason for the delay in Nissan facelifting the X-Trail stems from the fact it was launched considerably later than the Rogue. Nissan launched the current Rogue in the US in late 2020, but the X-Trail didn't launch in Japan until July 2022 and in Australia until later that year. Don't be too jealous of buyers in markets where the Rogue is sold, however – they don't get the e-Power powertrain, though they do get a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine in lieu of the naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four sold here.
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
Pensioners to get a bump in fortnightly Centrelink payments
Social security payments will rise across the board next month, with Australia's pensioners set to benefit the most. Welfare payments are indexed twice a year – once in March and once in September. The point is to make sure they keep pace - or at least try to - with changes in cost of living and wages. From September 20, people on the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment will get up to $29.70 more in their fortnightly payments. While it might not go too far at the supermarket, it does mean those pensions have risen by almost $5000 since Labor won government in 2022. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said on Wednesday the Albanese government 'wants to help take the pressure off when it comes to cost of living'. 'Social security recipients are also benefiting from tax cuts, cheaper medicines, energy bill relief, cuts to student debt and a whole range of other cost-of-living measures we've delivered since coming into government,' she said in a statement. 'The social security system must be grounded in fairness, which is why we adjust supports as the economy changes. 'We'll continue to make sure the system is there to support those who need it most, ensuring that everyone can make ends meet and no one gets left behind.' Indexation for pensions are based on a few different measures, including the Consumer Price Index and male total average weekly earnings.
Sydney Morning Herald
20 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
First look: A surprising ingredient takes centre stage at this new Japanese restaurant
Sushi, ramen and teriyaki have long dominated Melbourne's Japanese dining landscape, while other staples of the cuisine have lingered in the margins. Oden – a hotpot of fish cakes, daikon and tofu where the broth is key – is one of the wallflowers. It's surfaced sporadically, mostly at pop-ups run by homesick expats or at casual stalls like Now-Oden in the CBD. But Melbourne has never had a restaurant devoted to the dish until now. Oden, from the team behind two-hatted kaiseki restaurant Ishizuka, officially opens on Bourke Street on September 5. Owner Melanie Zhang says the goal is to create a relaxed counterpart to her first restaurant and introduce a dish unfamiliar to many Australians, much as she did with the kaiseki fine-dining format when she opened Ishizuka eight years ago. 'I feel like Melbourne is ready for the next challenge,' she says.
