en.Wedoany.com Reported - Minrex Resources (ASX: MRR) has commenced drilling at the near-surface, high-grade Barje deposit within its flagship Tlamino project in southern Serbia, marking the first drilling at the deposit since 2018-19. The fully funded 7,000-meter drilling program aims to upgrade resources from the Inferred to Indicated category and provide data support for a scoping study targeted for completion by year-end. This study will be updated based on current gold prices—which have more than tripled from the 2018 average of $1,270 per ounce to $4,500 per ounce.
CEO Max Piirto stated that the commencement of drilling at Barje represents a pivotal moment for Minrex, as this near-surface, high-grade deposit is precisely the type of asset the company aims to advance. According to a non-JORC, NI 43-101 foreign estimate, the Barje resource stands at 7.1 million tonnes grading 2.5 g/t gold and 38 g/t silver, containing 570,000 ounces of gold and 8.8 million ounces of silver, for a total gold equivalent of 670,000 ounces (Inferred category). The infill drilling is designed to enhance resource confidence and support the conversion of resources from Inferred to Indicated. Infill drilling will commence in the northeastern part of Barje, where shallow, high-grade gold-silver mineralization has been intersected.
Significant intercepts from previous drilling at the Barje deposit include: 30.0m at 5.45 g/t gold and 11 g/t silver from 74m, including 9.0m at 14.17 g/t gold (BAR006); 38.2m at 3.98 g/t gold and 158 g/t silver from 19.8m (BAR010); 34.7m at 3.11 g/t gold and 27.5 g/t silver from 2.0m (BAR002); 26.1m at 2.44 g/t gold and 219 g/t silver from 2.0m, including 6.0m at 4.20 g/t gold and 754 g/t silver (BAR003); 30.8m at 2.06 g/t gold and 54.7 g/t silver from 2.4m (BAR001); and 22.1m at 1.83 g/t gold and 109 g/t silver from 2.2m (BAR004).
Regional leading contractor Drillex International has commenced drilling at the Barje deposit. In addition to infill drilling to support an updated mineral resource estimate with a higher proportion of Indicated resources, Minrex will also test mineralization extensions east and west of the existing resource envelope, as well as the Barje-Liska corridor to the south—an area with over 1 kilometer of potential strike length yet to be drill-tested, targeting potential fault repetitions of high-grade mineralization. The Barje deposit was last drilled seven years ago by the project's previous owner, Medgold Resources Corp, and subsequently by Canada's Electrum Discovery Corp (a wholly owned subsidiary of Minrex since April). Consistent shallow, high-grade gold-silver intercepts from past drilling underpin the current mineral resource, highlighting the deposit's continuity and expansion potential.
Minrex has made Tlamino its primary work focus, advancing the gold-silver project beyond the 2021 preliminary economic assessment based on previous work. The drilling commencement is seen as the first in a series of milestones for 2026, with initial assay results targeted for the September quarter, and an updated mineral resource estimate and scoping study targeted around year-end. Projects such as Timok East, Karamanica, and Sofala are also advancing to build a broad project pipeline around the Serbian flagship asset. CEO Piirto stated that he looks forward to providing shareholders with a steady stream of results as the project progresses.
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