• Western Yilgarn announces maiden resource of 168.3Mt at 36.1% Ai2O3 for its Julimar West bauxite project
  • Resource sits within trucking distance of a multi-user railway and comes amid record alumina and bauxite prices
  • Potential exists to increase tonnage and grade through further exploration and metallurgical test work

 

Special Report: Western Yilgarn has dropped into the laps of eager punters a cracking maiden resource of 168.3Mt grading 36.1% aluminium oxide and 14.7% silicon dioxide for its Julimar West bauxite project.

The resource at the 25% Ai2O3 cut-off is based on past exploration – by operators including major miners such as Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting – and covers an area striking 21.3km and with an average width of 1.5km from surface down to a depth to 8m.

It remains a very hefty 97.1Mt at 40.5% Ai2O3 and 11.3% SiO2 even at a more stringent 35% Ai2O3 cut-off.

Western Yilgarn’s (ASX:WYX) release of the maiden resource couldn’t be better timed given that prices had rallied in 2024 due to several global disruptions and looks set to have another record year.

The resource areas are known as Blocks 100 to 600 in the Central Bindoon region and are contained within the company’s wholly owned exploration licence 70/5111 that covers 348km2 from Chittering to north of Wannamal within WA’s Darling Range region.

Potential exists to further grow the resource as bauxite mineralisation is known to strike some 49km in length and up to 13km in width.

Importantly, there is also significant potential for Julimar West to host an economic bauxite resource of sufficient size and quality to support a small to medium scale direct shipping ore operation exporting material to established alumina refineries in China and the Middle East.

There is plenty of support for this as Darling Range plateau bauxites are known to be highly amenable to DSO export due to their high grade, gibbsitic nature and low reactive silica content.

This gibbsitic bauxite is preferred by alumina refineries because it can be processed in a conventional Bayer Refinery at low temperatures, low pressures and with low caustic soda consumption, which significantly lowers processing costs.

Julimar West also benefits from its close proximity to Perth, major ports and all necessary infrastructure.

 

The Julimar West project with nearby major infrastructure. Pic: Western Yilgarn

 

Value creation opportunity

“We are extremely pleased with the outcomes of our first bauxite resource estimations which provide massive project scalability and excellent potential to increase the tonnage and grade through further exploration and metallurgical test work,” non-executive director Pedro Kastellorizos said.

“The location of the current resources is within trucking distance of a multi-user railway at a time of record alumina and bauxite prices. 

“The Julimar West bauxite project presents an excellent opportunity to create value for shareholders, generate jobs in local communities, and positions the company to establish itself as a new independent, highly profitable supplier of high-quality bauxite. 

“Furthermore, our technical team believe the bauxite deposits have substantial potential for additional resource growth along strike and depth. 

“Western Yilgarn will be planning the next phase of drilling within the project’s untested Zone with a view of expanding the current mineralised footprint.”

 

Julimar West project

Julimar West is ~75km northeast of Perth and covers parts of the Darling Range which the Geological Survey of Western Australia have delineated as “a clearly defined area which economic bauxite mineralisation is concentrated”.

It can be accessed from Perth via the Great Northern Highway to Bindoon, from which access to the western parts of the project area is available along the sealed Bindoon and Mogumber roads to Moora.

Previous exploration that was used in the resource estimation includes over 5765 aircore and vacuum drill holes totalling 32,405m.

There is potential to deliver resource growth through planned exploration such as:

  • untested extensional drilling in Area 1 north of Zone 300 along a 13.3km strike by 6.3km in width that includes drilling over Area 9 – the Wannamal prospect;
  • untested extensional drilling in Area 2 east of Zone 200 along 10.4km strike with a width of 5.4km that incorporates drilling over Zone 600;
  • infill drilling between zones 100 and 400 over 6.5km of strike; and
  • untested extensional drilling between Zone 400 down to Area 4, the Julimar prospect that is ~22km strike by 3.85km in width.

WYX plans to carry out first pass vacuum/reverse circulation drilling over these areas once all drilling approvals have been received from the WA regulator.

 

 

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.

 

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