Irish energy transition company Forgent permitted to start gold, copper drilling in Australia

The approvals represent a major operational milestone for the Ireland-headquartered company as it transitions from project evaluation to active field exploration.

Forgent believes Peak Hills offers a compelling opportunity to unlock value through the combination of shallow mineralisation targets, encouraging historic gold and copper results, and close proximity to existing regional processing infrastructure.

The initial Phase 1 programme has been designed to test multiple high-priority targets across the Karalundi, Junction and Curleys prospects using low-cost aircore drilling. The programme will focus on validating historic exploration results, extending known mineralisation and identifying additional mineralised zones across the broader project area.

The approved PoW permits provide for drilling of up to 750 holes across the project area, providing significant flexibility for future exploration success. It is estimated that no hole will be deeper than 100 m in this phase. The company’s initial campaign is expected to comprise about 35 holes for 2 300 m of drilling at an estimated cost of A$200 000.

Forgent CEO James Parsons says Peak Hills represents exactly the type of opportunity Forgent is seeking to advance: a large-scale project with encouraging historic results, low-cost exploration opportunities and existing nearby infrastructure.

"The receipt of these approvals allows us to move from planning into execution, with drilling expected to start this summer.”