Stelar Metals (ASX:SLB) has appointed Andrew Bennett as exploration manager ahead of its maiden drilling program at the Hill of Leaders Tungsten Project.
Bennett joins the company as it prepares to commence a 3,000m reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at Hill of Leaders in the Northern Territory, which was recently approved by the NT Government.
The program will be the first bedrock drilling ever undertaken at the project, testing mineralised corridors defined by surface rock chip results of up to 6.10% tungsten trioxide over strike lengths exceeding 2km.
Bennett will lead the planning and execution of the program, including target prioritisation, drill hole design, on-ground supervision, and sampling protocols.
The geologist joins Stelar from Core Lithium (ASX:CXO), where he worked alongside Stelar Executive Chair Stephen Biggins.
Bennett played a role in advancing Core Lithium’s Finniss Lithium Project to an asset with a mineral resource estimate of approximately 50 million tonnes. His involvement includes the 58% mineral resource boost announced in April 2024 and multiple new deposit discoveries within the Bynoe pegmatite field.
His experience spans greenfields target generation, RC and diamond drilling program design and execution, JORC resource definition, heritage and Land Council engagement, and NT regulatory and permitting processes.
Having worked directly with Bennett, Biggins says the newly-minted exploration manager can deliver in the NT.
“Andrew is already working with our team on the design of the 3,000m maiden RC program and having someone of his experience shaping where and how we put the first holes into Hill of Leaders gives us real confidence in the quality of that program,” Biggins says.
Stelar Metals is a junior explorer targeting the discovery and production of critical minerals.
Write to Paula Fabe at Mining.com.au
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