Ballard Mining has announced an increase in its mineral resource estimate for its Mt Ida gold project in Western Australia.
The company increased its estimate to 930,000 ounces at 4.1 grams per tonne gold after recent assay results showed impressive results at its Baldock gold mine.
Ballard said results showed three metres at 64.2 g/t gold from 277 metres, 1.7 metres at 71 g/t gold from 398 metres and two metres at 30 g/t gold from 249 metres.
Ballard Managing Director Paul Brennen said: “The results received to date have been confirmatory and in line with expectations. The increased drilling density – 20 metres by 20 metres – will allow a substantial portion of the inferred resource to be upgraded to an indicated resource and support a maiden ore reserve planned for mid-2026.”
Ballard said it is on track to complete its initial infill drilling program at Baldock by December. The site exploration team has completed over 70,000 metres of geologic logging and has also conducted detailed geotechnical logging to develop a robust geotechnical model for the Baldock open pit and underground deposits.
The company is targeting an initial mineral reserve of between 400,000 to 500,000 ounces based on the first phase of drilling, with extensive metallurgical test work and detailed geotechnical modelling being undertaken to support the reserve. Both tasks are set to be completed in the first quarter of 2026, which will provide the basis for an initial expectation of five to six years of mine life.
Ballard is also undertaking regional exploration along the Baldock share and along the Ballard Fault zone.
