en.Wedoany.com Reported - WA Gold has completed the first phase of its 2026 diamond drilling program at the Abercromby Gold Project in Western Australia, with seven holes totaling 3,277 meters drilled, progressing in parallel with a feasibility study to support potential mining operations.
The drilling targets are located below and south of the existing resource at the Capital deposit, extending 500 meters along strike. The Capital deposit is part of the broader Abercromby project within the Wiluna-Agnew region. WA Gold stated that geological logging indicates all seven holes intersected the structure hosting the Capital deposit. Samples from the first five holes have been sent to the laboratory, with samples from the final two holes to be dispatched this week, and assay results are expected this month.
Geotechnical consulting firm MineGeoTech assessed the core before cutting and sampling, with results to inform mine planning for the ongoing feasibility study. The Abercromby project hosts a JORC 2012-compliant mineral resource of 11.1 million tonnes at 1.45 grams per tonne gold, containing 518,000 ounces of gold.
The project is located within approved mining leases in a mature mining district, a condition that supports what WA Gold describes as a rapid development pathway. Abercromby was the subject of a scoping study released in April, which evaluated an initial production target of approximately 114,000 ounces of gold under a first-phase mine plan, outlining a small open pit followed by underground mining. WA Gold said the study indicated upfront capital development costs of approximately A$8 million and pre-tax cash flow of approximately A$270 million.
WA Gold is evaluating toll-treatment options for the Abercromby project, with multiple operating gold processing plants within trucking distance. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Wiluna Mining to assess potential processing at the Matilda carbon-in-leach plant. Metallurgical work has confirmed that gold from all Abercromby zones is free-milling, with recoveries of 93% to 95% using standard carbon-in-leach processing.
The mineral resource starts near surface, is amenable to open-pit mining, and remains open at depth. High-grade zones within the resource support WA Gold's phased approach to potential mine development. Drilling will resume at Abercromby this quarter, with approximately 6,000 meters of diamond and reverse circulation drilling planned, fully funded. The focus will be on expanding the existing 518,000-ounce resource and conducting resource development drilling to support reserve estimates for the feasibility study. Additional geotechnical drilling is also planned to support the design of the proposed underground mine.
Development studies will continue, with WA Gold targeting a financial investment decision for the Abercromby project in 2027. The Abercromby project is located in the Wiluna greenstone belt, one of Western Australia's most significant gold-producing regions, with over 40 million ounces of gold resources. WA Gold holds a 100% interest in the Abercromby project, with rights to gold and other minerals (excluding uranium and thorium) within two approved mining leases. Historical drilling has intersected multiple thick, high-grade gold mineralization intervals, confirming the presence of a large, high-grade gold system at Abercromby.
