Western Gold Resources (ASX:WGR) has delivered an updated resource estimate for the Gold Duke Project in Western Australia, totalling 4.8 million tonnes @ 1.8 grams per tonne for 277,000 ounces.
Managing Director Cullum Winn says the updated resource provides a higher level of confidence in the robustness and economic viability of Gold Duke as the company transitions toward production.
“The updated 2025 mineral resource estimate for the Gold Duke Project reflects a materially improved interpretation of the geological and grade continuity derived from the 2025 grade control and infill drilling programs,” Winn says.
“With a capital-light start-up strategy, a fully funded pre-production program, and the continued strength of the Australian gold price, this updated resource significantly reinforces the technical and economic foundations underpinning the company’s decision to mine.”
Gold’s spot price sat at $6,486 per ounce at the time of writing, as reported by ABC Bullion.
Western Gold notes that the updated resource has been constrained within an optimised $7,000 per ounce reasonable prospects of eventual economic extraction pit shell, aligning the estimate with current gold price conditions.
As such, this provides a ‘robust’ foundation for mine planning, scheduling and ongoing technical optimisation. The improved geological understanding confirms that mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth, with multiple lodes identified across shallow oxide zones and deeper positions.
Mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth, with multiple lodes recognised across near surface and deeper positions at the project.
The company has begun a comprehensive review of the historical exploration and drilling database across the broader Gold Duke Project. This work represents phase one of the project’s stage two growth strategy.
Stage two will focus on unlocking value from a suite of brownfield prospects located in close proximity to the planned mining operations. The brownfields opportunities have previously demonstrated gold mineralisation and are now being systematically re-evaluated using modern geological modelling and structural interpretation.
The Gold Duke Project is located 35km southwest of Wiluna in Western Australia’s northeastern Goldfields region.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Western Gold Resources
