Australian Mines (ASX:AUZ) has advanced a multi‑purpose drilling program at its Flemington Scandium Project in New South Wales to an execution‑ready stage.
The program awaits assessable prospecting operation approval from NSW Resources before commencing at the project. Flemington hosts one of the ‘highest‑grade’ reported scandium mineral resource estimates (MREs) globally.
The existing ‘high‑grade’ 2025 MRE totals 6.3 million tonnes (Mt) at 446 parts per million (ppm) scandium at a 300ppm cut‑off, with approximately 98% classified as measured and indicated.
Resource extension drilling will test areas adjacent to the existing MRE. Meanwhile, dedicated drilling will assess proposed locations of major infrastructure through condemnation drilling.
“Flemington already hosts one of the world’s highest-grade scandium resources. Importantly, the PFS assessment of production scenarios up to 180 [tonnes per annum] is based on the existing Mineral Resource and does not depend on successful resource-extension drilling,” Managing Director Andrew Nesbitt says.
“The drilling is intended to test additional longer-term growth potential while also supporting metallurgical and infrastructure-related PFS [Prefeasibility Study] work.”
The PFS is assessing the potential to increase annual scandium oxide production from 60tpa to up to 180tpa, based on the existing mineral resource.
Metallurgical testwork from the Scoping Study demonstrated scandium recovery of 90.8% using a conventional hydrometallurgical flowsheet.
Resource extension drilling will focus primarily adjacent to the existing resource footprint, where prospective pyroxenitic units may continue beyond current drilling limits.
Condemnation drilling will determine whether material mineralisation is present beneath proposed infrastructure areas.
Australian Mines is an Australian developer advancing a portfolio of critical minerals and battery metals projects across Australia and Brazil, anchored by the Flemington Scandium Project and the Sconi nickel-cobalt deposit.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: Australian Mines
