Western Australia has disbursed AU$6.16 million in funding to advance drilling programs in some of the state’s most prospective and underexplored regions.
A total of 40 projects across 36 applicants have secured co-funded drilling support in Round 34, the latest round of the state’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS).
Copper features heavily in the latest allocation, with about half of the successful drilling programs targeting the metal as either a primary objective or part of a multi-commodity system.
Meanwhile, gold remains a major drawcard, attracting over a quarter of the applicants.
In addition, 12 projects will focus on critical minerals such as rare earth elements, cobalt, niobium, lithium, and tungsten. This surge reflects increasing global demand for resources vital to emerging clean energy and advanced technologies.
Geographically, nearly two-thirds of the successful recipients operate within the Goldfields-Esperance and Pilbara regions.
Mines, Petroleum and Exploration Minister Daniel Pastorelli emphasised that targeted government investment is crucial for encouraging explorers to take on higher-risk, remote projects that might otherwise stall.
“The Exploration Incentive Scheme shows how targeted government investment can help explorers pursue opportunities that may otherwise not go ahead,” Pastorelli said.
“When exploration succeeds, so too does WA, which is why investing in early-stage discovery remains so important to continue to grow our economy and create more jobs.”
Past EIS initiatives have already proven successful. Companies like Black Canyon Ltd. used co-funded drilling to confirm significant manganese mineralisation, leading to a maiden mineral resource estimate.
Other explorers, including Ausgold Exploration, Great Boulder Resources, and Cosmo Metals, have also reported promising gold discoveries.
Western Australia continues to lead the nation in the resources sector, accounting for roughly 68 per cent of Australia’s total exploration expenditure and housing nearly 60 per cent of the nation’s exploration companies.
“WA continues to set the pace in mineral exploration, accounting for around 68 per cent of national exploration expenditure and home to almost 60 per cent of the country’s exploration companies,” Pastorelli said.
Applications for the next round of funding, including Co-funded Drilling Round 35, Co-funded Geophysics Venture 4, and Co-funded Energy Analysis Series 10, are scheduled to open on 1 February 2027.
