en.Wedoany.com Reported - Australian mining company Aeris Resources has increased its copper ore reserves at the Tritton copper mine in central New South Wales by more than four times, securing over five years of mill feed and strengthening its plan to build a long-life, multi-mine production hub.

The updated ore reserves stand at 10 million tonnes, grading 1.7% copper, 0.38 grams per tonne gold, and 10 grams per tonne silver. This contains approximately 180,000 tonnes of copper (up from 37,000 tonnes in December 2024), 130,000 ounces of gold, and 3.2 million ounces of silver. The growth is primarily driven by the first-time ore reserves from Constellation and the recently acquired Mallee Bull deposit. Constellation has underground reserves of 3.8 million tonnes, containing about 62,000 tonnes of copper; Mallee Bull contributes 2.7 million tonnes, containing 66,000 tonnes of copper.

Aeris Executive Chairman Andre Labuschagne stated that the reserve update is a significant milestone for the Tritton operations. With ore reserves now exceeding 10 million tonnes, equivalent to over five years of feed at the current processing plant capacity, this lays a solid foundation for establishing a long-life, multi-mine copper operation centered around the existing Tritton processing infrastructure.

The company's Tritton mineral resources have also increased by 70% to 33 million tonnes, containing approximately 540,000 tonnes of copper, 340,000 ounces of gold, and 9.6 million ounces of silver. Following Aeris' acquisition of Peel Mining, its inventory added the Mallee Bull and Wirlong deposits, contributing about 200,000 tonnes of contained copper, of which approximately 160,000 tonnes are classified as indicated mineral resources.

Organic growth has also played a role, with Aeris tripling underground diamond drilling in the 2025-26 financial year. Work at Avoca Tank and Budgerygar added over 2 million tonnes to Tritton's mineral resource base. Labuschagne noted that at Budgerygar, most of this growth has been converted into ore reserves, resulting in a 317% increase in ore reserves compared to December 2024, after accounting for mining depletion. At Avoca Tank, mineralization discovered at depth and along strike increased the mineral resources of this high-grade deposit by 180%. The company will continue underground development and drilling at this resource in FY27, focusing on upgrading it to ore reserves.

The revised Tritton mine life plan and production targets are expected to be announced in the first half of the 2026-27 financial year. Aeris will also advance Mallee Bull's mine plan optimization, feasibility studies, permitting, and exploration decline planning. Approximately 85,000 meters of underground drilling is planned at Tritton in FY27, with nine of the mine's ten known deposits remaining open at depth.