en.Wedoany.com Reported - GreenTech Metals will conduct an 8,300-meter drilling campaign at the Munni Munni platinum group element-copper-nickel project and the Whundo copper-zinc-gold project in the West Pilbara region of Western Australia. The program includes 4,750 meters of reverse circulation drilling and 3,560 meters of diamond drilling, including large-diameter diamond holes for metallurgical composite sampling. Drilling will initially be restricted to existing drill pads at Munni Munni, with access to other sites pending heritage surveys scheduled to begin on August 10 and last for eight days. GreenTech Metals (ASX:GRE) expects to begin mobilization later this month, with the first rig arriving on site in late July, and a second rig to be deployed once additional areas receive heritage clearance.
At Whundo, with defined resources of 6.2 million tonnes grading 1.12% copper and 1.04% zinc, the drilling will target high-grade copper-gold shallow extensions. Munni Munni hosts a non-JORC resource of 24 million tonnes grading 2.9 grams per tonne platinum group elements (PGE4), containing 2.2 million ounces of metal.
GreenTech Metals CEO James Rattenbury said that in advancing the Munni Munni drilling program ahead of mobilization, the company has been integrating targets most likely to extend the copper-dominant zones within the historical resource footprint. The company sees an opportunity to target shallow mineralization on existing drill pads before heritage surveys, while prioritizing high-grade copper-gold extension drilling at Whundo.
GreenTech Metals is also advancing a government co-funded FLEM survey aimed at refining drill targets along the largely untested basal contact zone of the Munni Munni intrusion. Management believes the area is prospective for copper sulfide mineralization. The survey is scheduled to begin in early July, covering approximately 8.2 square kilometers. The Western Australian government will contribute A$100,000 of the estimated total cost of A$200,000 through its co-funded geophysics program. Results are expected before drilling commences and will be used to precisely define targets. Management noted that the FLEM method has proven successful in similar geological settings.
Rattenbury said the start of the FLEM survey is a key step in refining the company's drill targets at Munni Munni, noting that the method has a strong track record in such environments, as demonstrated by the nearby Andover Complex, and the company believes it will refine targets ahead of drilling.
GreenTech Metals is also advancing work streams supporting the re-estimation of Munni Munni resources, including geological modeling and metallurgical studies. A metallurgical test is underway to reconfirm the ore's suitability for conventional flotation. The test has been expanded to better characterize the flotation behavior of the copper-PGE-dominant sulfide assemblage and determine parameters for producing a copper-PGE concentrate, marking a shift from the historically PGE-dominant concentrate approach with less focus on copper recovery. Management said the increased focus on copper is supported by strong price conditions and growing interest from potential offtake partners. Test work results are expected in August and will feed into smelter net return parameters for updated resource estimates and a preliminary scoping study.
