ABx Group (ASX:ABX) has been granted a new exploration tenement by Mineral Resources Tasmania.
The new exploration licence covers an area of 165km2, 30km north of the Deep Leads rare earths resource in northern Tasmania.
It expands the company’s portfolio of tenements prospective for ionic adsorption clay rare earth element mineralisation to over 800km2.
ABx intends to conduct its next exploration campaign at the project in August 2026, with plans to incorporate artificial intelligence tools to enhance target generation and exploration planning.
Meanwhile, the Deep Leads — Rubble Mound Extension has been announced as one of five projects that will share in up to $540,000 of funding from round 12 of the Exploration Drilling Grant Initiative (EDGI).
The EDGI program is orchestrated by the Tasmanian Government, providing up to $100,000 in funding for direct drilling costs.
CEO Mark Cooksey says the granting of the exploration tenement and awarding of drilling funding “demonstrate the attractiveness of Tasmania as a mining jurisdiction and the excellent standing of ABx in Tasmania”.
“These outcomes expand our rare earths exploration footprint in northern Tasmania and reflect the growing confidence we have in the broader prospectivity of the region,” Cooksey says.
“The geological model developed through our exploration activities continues to identify new areas for assessment, with the EL1/2026 application representing another prospective target area generated from this work.
“We are excited by our progress in incorporating artificial intelligence tools into exploration strategy.”
ABx Group is focused on delivering materials for a cleaner future with priority projects in heavy rare earths, clean fluorine chemical production, and near-term bauxite production.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: ABx Group
