This article is a sponsored feature from Mining.com.au partner Loyal Metals. It is not financial advice. Talk to a registered financial expert before making investment decisions.
Loyal Metals (ASX:LLM) is built around a clear fact: “the electric future isn’t coming — it’s already here. And we want to help supply the minerals that will make this possible.”
Managing Director Adam Ritchie explains that while Loyal initially pursued hard‑rock lithium — and found success — the company always had a broader ambition: to build a portfolio reflecting the full suite of minerals critical to global electrification. At the centre of that vision sits copper.
With a background in electrical engineering and project leadership roles across the energy‑transition sector — including at Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) — Ritchie understands the technical and commercial pressures driving the rapid shift in global energy systems.
Copper at the core: Loyal’s ground-to-grid vision
As electrification accelerates, copper has become one of the world’s most essential — and increasingly constrained — minerals. It is required for electric vehicles, renewable generation, charging infrastructure, and the long‑distance transmission lines needed to modernise power grids worldwide.
Global agencies consistently warn that copper demand is rising faster than supply can respond, and new discoveries remain scarce.
This backdrop has shaped Loyal Metals’ ground‑to‑grid strategy — a philosophy Ritchie frames as “always starting with the end use in mind”. Rather than simply chasing tonnes, the company focuses on the minerals that matter most to electrification.
Loyal’s strategy aims to unite high‑grade mineralised systems in stable jurisdictions with real potential to feed future grid expansion.
Highway Reward: Breathing new life into a historic mine
Highway Reward is a historic mine in Queensland, Australia, built in the 1990s when copper was around US$0.90 per pound. Today it’s closer to US$6 per pound, which completely changes the project’s economics. And this is the key factor that stood out to Loyal Metals upon acquisition.
“The best way to find a mine is to start with an old one,” Ritchie says.
Ritchie also explains how gold wasn’t historically factored into the project economics, yet we’re seeing record highs of this as well.
“When you view Highway Reward through modern pricing, the mineralisation becomes much more compelling,” Ritchie says.
“In simple terms, the geology hasn’t changed, the economics have. That’s why we’re confident that there is a second chapter here.”
Past production at the mine totalled 3.65 million tonnes at 5.7% copper and 260,000 tonnes at 4.5 grams per tonne gold.
Ritchie remembers reviewing the historic study, noting not just the mineralisation details, but the prices they used for copper and gold and realised that this project was “nothing but opportunity”.
So evaluating the project based on commodity pricing was step one. Step two was the focus on geology. Ritchie notes that the company took a leap of faith on the project, but it was all backed by strong fundamentals.
Loyal Metals verified 122,000m of historic drill data, as previously reported, to confirm the unmined potential at Highway Reward, building up a geological model using modern software.
Drill results confirm scale and continuity
In late January 2026, Loyal announced results from its initial drilling at the project’s open pit.
Ritchie says that “The drilling confirmed exactly what we envisaged: a large, consistent, mineralised zone near‑surface.”
The first drillhole results delivered ‘exceptional’ widths and continuity. Key results include 145m @ 1.50% copper equivalent from 176m, including 17m @ 3.15% copper equivalent and 6m @ 4.28 copper equivalent; and 86m @ 2.34% copper equivalent from 199m, including 14m @ 4.35% copper equivalent, 11m @ 4.83% copper equivalent, and 4m @ 8.69% copper equivalent.
The company also announced results of a zinc-rich massive sulphide zone 80m below surface, with results including 17m @ 2.72% copper equivalent, including 2m @ 10.93% copper equivalent, with notable lead-zinc-silver grades.
These results validated the old datasets, highlighted strong copper‑gold‑silver continuity over wide intervals, and brought gold mineralisation fully into play for the first time.
Ritchie notes that the results show metre-after-metre consistency, with copper, gold, and silver repeating across wide intervals.
“The scale, continuity, and geometry of this zone are now significant enough that we are actively evaluating a bulk-mining development pathway, something that would never have been considered under the 1990s pricing assumptions,” Ritchie says.
Turning legacy data into modern insights
Loyal Metals’ approach is deliberately grounded in fundamentals, Ritchie explains, validating all historical data before integrating modern technologies to triangulate high-value targets.
Dr Simon Beams has joined the Loyal team to assist with the project. Beams was the field geologist on the drilling rig in 1986 when the original Highway Reward discovery and is the custodian of the legacy data.
Loyal Metals is integrating everything into Vrify’s DORA platform, an AI-enabled geological engine. Loyal is now integrating all historical data, new drilling results, and modern geophysics onto the Vrify platform.
“We’re not just using AI as a buzzword — we’re using it to synthesise decades of data in ways humans simply can’t,” Ritchie says. “Shareholders will soon see a completely new, data‑driven understanding of the system.”
2025: A transformative year
2025 was the year that really built Loyal into what it is today — working towards its next phase of development.
“In 2025, we secured the Highway Reward project, rebuilt the geological model for the first time in decades, drilled our first holes in over 20 years, and delivered strong, near-surface results,” Ritchie says.
Loyal was able to strengthen its technical team and its balance sheet since acquiring Highway Reward. As previously reported, the company conducted a $3.5 million placement in November 2025, helping to position itself well for its next phase.
Looking back, Ritchie says that “we can stand back and be proud of 2025. We’ve taken old data, verified it, and advanced it with drilling and geophysics. It was a very productive 2025 and 2026 is all upside from here”.
2026: A year of catalysts and growth
2026 is now about advancing both the near‑surface and deeper mineralised zones. The company plans to integrate a new suite of geophysical datasets to refine the geological model, before progressing to deeper drilling and potentially commencing early resource definition work.
“Investors can expect meaningful newsflow over the next 3,6, and 12 months as the system becomes more clear.”
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Images: Loyal Metals
