Black Canyon (ASX:BCA) is continuing to engage with parties expressing offtake and strategic interest in the Wandanya Project in Western Australia, ahead of several exploration activities planned within the next six months.
Speaking to Mining.com.au, Managing Director Brendan Cummins says the manganese-focused developer and explorer plans to conduct heritage surveys and preparatory groundwork to ensure drilling and field programs are ready to accelerate into the new year.
“Black Canyon will provide further exploration updates following the recently completed infill drilling over 3km of mineralised strike at Wandanya, alongside discovery drilling aimed at stepping out a further 4km to the north and 1.8km to the south,” Cummins tells this news service.
“Metallurgical studies will continue to generate results on the manganese and iron mineralisation, including assessments of direct shipping ore potential and beneficiation options.”
Exploration across the broader 2,000km2 tenement package in the Balfour Manganese Field will also be carried out.
Cummins highlights that during this year the company discovered “unique” mineralisation at Wandanya which has many of the key development criteria required “to become a mine”.
This criteria includes shallow to outcropping mineralisation, high-grade, consistency of the mineralised horizon and scale potential.
Hard to find: Wandanya
In October 2025, drill results had returned some of Wandanya’s highest ever manganese grades, with multiple holes recording grades above 35%.
Some of the results included 7m @ 37.7% manganese from surface, 8m @ 37.4%, and 8m @ 35.5%, alongside intervals of up to 10m @ 61.3% iron.
“Wandanya is unique which is why there has been a lot of interest in the company because good manganese deposits are hard to find,” Cummins tells this news service.
During 2025, Black Canyon completed two reverse circulation drilling programs at the Wandanya Project, while also undertaking a $10 million capital raise.
As previously reported, the funding supports Black Canyon to continue exploration and pre-development activities over the next 12 to 18 months, as well as fund the key acquisition of the Wandanya south tenement – where another 1.8km of strike potential exists.
The manganese market is heading for a deficit as high-grade ore becomes harder to find and long-running mines enter the final stages of their operating lives. Disruptions have already started affecting the market, with the suspension of a number of operations globally in 2024.
Manganese has been emerging as a battery metal. Its use however, is minimal compared to steelmaking. The market is very much driven by the production of ferro-alloys that include silico and ferro manganese that feed into the manufacturing of crude steel.
Global manganese ore supply in 2023 was 60 million tonnes – up 2% from 2022 and is equivalent to 21.24Mt of contained manganese at an average grade of 35.4% Mn. This makes it the fourth most common metal by tonnage, behind iron, aluminium, and copper.
Black Canyon attended this year’s Noosa Mining Investor Conference, held between 12-14 November 2025, at the Peppers Noosa Resort. Mining.com.au was a media partner for this year’s event.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Black Canyon
