Deputy Premier announces NSW Minerals Council’s 2021 Explorer of the Year

The winner of the NSW Minerals Council’s Explorer of the Year awards has been announced today, recognising excellence within our world-class mining industry. The Explorer of the Year award acknowledges the significant contribution of exploration to the NSW mining industry.

The 2021 NSW Explorer of the Year is Alkane Resources, with the discovery at their Northern Molong Porphyry Project (NMPP) in the Central West Region of NSW about 35 km east of Dubbo.

The announcement was made by NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro at the NSW Minerals Council Exploration and Tenures Forum being held today in Sydney.

Alkane Resources has had an interest in the region since 2004, and has now discovered potentially world-class gold-copper porphyry mineralisation at its Boda prospect. Following extensive geological mapping, geophysical surveys and lithogeochemical characterisation over several years, Alkane’s drilling program demonstrated an extensive mineralised system similar to Cadia. Mineralisation is open to north, south and at depth, with the project having multi-billion dollar potential.

NSW has seen record levels of exploration over the last three years, primarily driven by increased demand for gold, copper and base metals. Since 2010 NSW has doubled its share of national exploration spending and quadrupled its share of greenfields exploration over the same period, showing promising signs for discovering the next generation of NSW mines.

“This increased spending and investment in the exploration sector is good news for regional NSW as it means more opportunities for investment, jobs and growth for local communities,” NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said.

The three finalists selected for the NSW Mining Explorer of the Year Award in 2021 were:

• Alkane Resources – Boda Discovery, Northern Molong Porphyry Project
• Aurelia Metals Limited – Federation Deposit
• Evolution Mining – GRE46 Deposit at Cowal Gold Operation

“The contribution made by all our finalists is a great example of the resilience and ingenuity shown by our world-class exploration sector despite the challenges presented by a global health crisis.  Our industry has continued to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing jobs for tens of thousands of families and driving crucial economic activity in regional communities right across NSW,” Mr Galilee said.

Further information on each of our finalists can be found on our events webpage by clicking here.

Contact: Callum Fountain