As Trump puts gallium on a pedestal, Western Yilgarn eyes WA exploration

• WYX planning to explore Ida Holmes Junction project for gallium
• Program to follow up newly identified zones of high-grade gallium mineralisation
• Company also looking to explore New Norcia project in WA

Special Report: Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese have agreed to pump at least US$200 million into a new gallium refinery in WA, putting explorers like Western Yilgarn on a pedestal.

Part of the US$8.5bn (+A$13bn) critical minerals deal announced by Albo and the US President on Monday, Alcoa and Sojitz will negotiate funding from both the US and Aussie Governments for a 100tpa gallium plant in WA’s South West.

The metal is crucial to semiconductors, LEDs and solar tech, is witnessing a surge in global demand due to its role as a key technology metal in global supply chains. With production and refining dominated by China, securing access is crucial to the US as it seeks to win a trade war with its biggest strategic rival.

And where there is bauxite there is typically gallium, informing bauxite explorer and resource holder Western Yilgarn’s (ASX:WYX) decision to scale up the hunt for the extremely critical mineral.

Its new exploration program will follow up high-grade gallium mineralisation delineated at the Ida Holmes Junction project earlier this year from historical aircore drilling of up to 134.3g/t gallium from surface.

That’s on top of rock chip sampling from exploration licences E36/1020 and E36/1080, which also returned very high-grade gallium grades up to 195.5g/t Ga, and 262.79g/t Ga2O3.

The mineralised system remains open in all directions, indicating strong potential for further extensions and discovery. 

Western Yilgarn says this emerging target further strengthens the company’s strategic position within the critical minerals sector, with gallium recognised as a key technology metal vital to semiconductor manufacturing and green energy technologies.

Exploration planned at New Norcia too

The company has also secured a granted status over the exploration licence which hosts the Norcia gallium-bauxite project (E70/6705) within the Darling Rangle bauxite mineral field, approximately 25km of the Julimar West bauxite resource project.

“We have commenced a systematic exploration planning program targeting high-grade gallium mineralisation across both the Ida Holmes Junction and New Norcia Projects in Western Australia,” non-executive director Pedro Kastellorizos said.

“Field activities are expected to commence later this month, with helicopter-borne reconnaissance planned to follow up the high-grade gallium mineralisation previously delineated at Ida Holmes Junction. 

“In parallel, with the New Norcia tenements now granted, the company has initiated negotiations for land access agreements to enable the commencement of drilling programs aimed at testing the depth and strike continuity of the historically defined high-grade gallium mineralisation associated with bauxite.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Western Yilgarn, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. 

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.