Estrella Resources has completed its Category B market appraisal extraction programme at the Ira Miri Manganese Project in Timor-Leste, delivering a surveyed stockpile inventory of approximately 27,371 tonnes and confirming the presence of high-grade mineralisation extending beyond the current pit boundaries.
The Stage 1 stockpile total falls within the company’s approved 30,000-tonne Category B extraction limit and was calculated using surveyed stockpile volumes, measured bulk density, and stockpile assay reconciliation.
Within the inventory, approximately 4,984 tonnes of high-grade material have been identified, grading 49.38 per cent manganese.
The programme also confirmed the availability of medium-grade and low-grade product options across the stockpile, with sizing and yield studies now underway to determine optimal pre-shipment product specifications.
In-situ pit sampling has returned ultra-high-grade manganese mineralisation of up to 60.22 per cent manganese, materially advancing the company’s geological understanding of the Ira Miri system.
Direct pit exposure revealed a structurally complex Noni Formation host sequence, characterised by folded, faulted and boudinaged manganese pods.
Critically, mineralisation remains open below the current pit floor and into the pit walls, with multiple high-priority induced polarisation anomalies at depth yet to be tested.
Managing Director Chris Daws described the outcome as a strong result for the company and its shareholders, noting that the programme had demonstrated Estrella’s first-mover position in Timor-Leste and its capacity to advance a manganese discovery rapidly from drilling to market appraisal extraction.
Daws indicated the information gathered at Ira Miri would inform the next phase of geophysics, drilling, and potential Category A development.
On the commercial front, Estrella is progressing shipment preparation in parallel, with export and trans-shipment approvals continuing to advance.
Offtake discussions are also ongoing as the company moves toward its first manganese export from the project.
Looking ahead, Estrella has planned larger resistivity and induced polarisation geophysical surveys for late May or early June 2026, targeting the scale and depth extent of mineralisation below and around the current pit.
The company said the surveys would test whether the Ira Miri system extends significantly beyond what has been exposed through the current extraction programme.
Estrella noted that its established local operating experience and relationships in Timor-Leste, combined with a growing pipeline of manganese targets in the country, position the company well for the next phase of development.
The company continues to build on what it described as a first-mover advantage in a jurisdiction where manganese exploration and development activity remains limited.
Further updates on geophysical survey results, export approvals, and offtake progress are expected in the coming weeks.
