West Australian gold explorer Rox Resources (ASX: RXL) has kicked off an extensive drilling program at its wholly-owned Youanmi Gold Project, ahead of its original schedule.
The company aims to accelerate its path to production with this ambitious 35,000-metre campaign.
The program, comprising 25,000 metres of diamond drilling and 10,000 metres of reverse circulation drilling, targets both resource conversion and growth.
By bringing forward this step-up drill campaign into 2024, Rox intends to streamline its development timeline as it progresses towards completing the Youanmi Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) in the second half of 2025.
Rox Resources has awarded the reverse circulation drilling contracts to Strike Drilling, while DDH1 Drilling will handle the diamond drilling operations.
The company anticipates receiving the first assay results in February 2025 and expects to conclude the entire program by May 2025.
Phillip Wilding, Chief Executive Officer of Rox Resources, expressed enthusiasm about the early commencement of the drilling program.
He stated: “We’ll keep the drill bit spinning into the New Year to further test exciting targets identified in the highly successful 2024 program, of particular note are Katheleen/Youanmi North and Pollard.”
Wilding highlighted the potential of high-grade targets beneath the Kathleen/Youanmi North pit, surrounded by underexplored ground, which could contribute additional early-access ounces to the mine plan.
He also noted the promising prospects at Pollard, where the company sees potential for repetitions of the Youanmi Main Lode, which could significantly impact the overall mine plan.
This accelerated drilling program underscores Rox Resources’ commitment to advancing the Youanmi Gold Project and potentially enhancing its resource base as it moves closer to production.