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West Cobar Metals Limited (ASX:WC1)

ALERT: Price-sensitive ASX Announcement for WC1
Current share price for WC1 : $0.015 -0.01 (-40%)+
Announcement
Release
12 Nov 2025 8:21AM
Price at Release
$0.025
Full Release
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Summary
West Cobar Metals Limited announced the discovery of extensive gallium mineralisation at their Salazar Critical Minerals Project in Western Australia. Initially overlooked in previous assays, the re-analysis was prompted by China's restrictions on gallium exports. The project, located near Esperance, includes significant deposits at Newmont and O’Connor, with notable resources of rare earth elements and co-products such as scandium, titanium, alumina, and now gallium. The company is reassessing its mineral resources to potentially incorporate gallium, recognizing its strategic importance in the production of semiconductors and other electronic components. Metallurgical tests indicate that Salazar's clays are suitable for leaching processes to recover valuable concentrates.
Key Points
  • West Cobar Metals Limited discovered significant gallium mineralisation throughout the Salazar Critical Minerals Project.
  • Gallium was not systematically assayed in previous aircore programs by Salazar Gold Pty Ltd or West Cobar Metals.
  • China's restrictions on gallium exports prompted West Cobar to re-analyse samples from the Salazar project.
  • Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource estimates at the Newmont deposit include 123Mt of 1145ppm TREO.
  • The O’Connor deposit has an estimated Inferred Mineral Resource of 107Mt of 1216ppm TREO.
  • Gallium mineralisation lies within and around existing resource estimates and can be updated to include gallium.
  • The Salazar project includes valuable rare earth elements and high-value co-products such as scandium, titanium, alumina, and gallium.
  • The gallium found in the Salazar project has potential implications for the supply of computer chips and semiconductors.
  • The company is reviewing Mineral Resource estimates to potentially include gallium as a co-product.
  • Metallurgical tests show that Salazar clays are amenable to leaching for recovering REEs, Sc, and Ga concentrates.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This information is autogenerated and has not been reviewed for accuracy or completeness. You should refer to the full announcement here for further information.