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West Cobar Metals Limited (WC1) has made significant progress on its Salazar Scandium and Critical Minerals Project in Western Australia while expanding its exploration footprint in the Cobar Basin, New South Wales, throughout the June 2026 quarter. The company is assessing dedicated scandium extraction processes and targeting multiple copper-antimony-silver drilling opportunities across a district-scale landholding of about 1,090 square kilometres. With ongoing metallurgical testwork and advancing regulatory approvals, WC1 is positioned with near-term drilling catalysts that investors are likely monitoring closely.
Key Highlights
- West Cobar Metals Limited (WC1) operates the Salazar Scandium and Critical Minerals Project near Esperance, Western Australia, and the Cobar West Copper-Antimony-Silver Project in New South Wales.
- The company is evaluating dedicated scandium metallurgical workflows at Salazar, focusing on heap leach potential and scandium recovery optimization.
- Salazar hosts JORC-estimated resources of 15 Mt @ 153 ppm Sc2O3 (scandium, Inferred), 230 Mt @ 1,178 ppm TREO (rare earth elements, Indicated and Inferred), and contains an unusually high yttrium content of approximately 16.2% of total rare earth oxide.
- The Cobar West Project district now covers approximately 1,090 km b2 across 120 km strike of prospective Cobar stratigraphy, with the Bulla Park deposit containing an Inferred Resource of 20 Mt @ 0.58% CuEq (remaining open for expansion).
- Aircore drilling at the Blind Freddie copper prospect and ground gravity surveys at Lilyvale are planned for Q3 2026, with land access agreements and approvals progressing.
- WC1 is engaging with US Government advisors to secure critical mineral supply funding pathways for its projects.
Advancing Scandium Extraction and Metallurgical Testwork at Salazar Project
West Cobar Metals is actively assessing scandium-specific metallurgical workflows at the Salazar Project, located about 120 kilometres northeast of Esperance, Western Australia. The company highlights attractive extraction potential compared to peer operations, emphasizing scandium's growing importance in aerospace, defence, and advanced materials, which makes efficient recovery pathways vital for the project's economics.
Metallurgical flowsheet testwork continues at Salazar, primarily aiming to demonstrate heap leach potential for the mineralisation. Prior testwork has shown promising recovery pathways, and the company is advancing bioleaching alongside development studies as part of scoping and pre-feasibility efforts. While specific scandium recovery rates were not disclosed in this quarterly update, multiple programs are underway to optimize economics and progress toward development.
Rare Earth Elements and High Yttrium Content in Salazar's Newmont Deposit
The Salazar Project contains a substantial rare earth element (REE) resource alongside scandium mineralisation. The Newmont deposit within Salazar exhibits notably high heavy rare earth magnet elements, with dysprosium (Dy) at 32 ppm Dy2O3 and terbium (Tb) at 5.5 ppm Tb4O7. These heavy rare earths are critical for permanent magnets used in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and defence systems, underscoring their geological significance.
Yttrium content at Salazar is particularly significant, representing about 16.2% of total rare earth oxide (TREO). Given global supply constraints outside China, yttrium is vital in advanced ceramics, lasers, electronics, defence, and high-temperature materials. This suggests yttrium may substantially contribute to future rare earth products from Salazar. The overall REE resource is estimated at 230 Mt @ 1,178 ppm TREO (Indicated and Inferred combined), with 44 Mt @ 1,239 ppm TREO classified as Indicated using a 600 ppm TREO cut-off.
Salazar's Critical Mineral Deposits: Titanium Dioxide, Gallium, and Alumina Resources
In addition to scandium and rare earths, Salazar hosts significant deposits of other critical and bulk commodities. West Cobar reports titanium dioxide (TiO2) resources of 42 Mt @ 5.2% TiO2 (Inferred), gallium resources of 263 Mt @ 35 ppm Ga2O3 (Inferred), and alumina resources of 4 Mt @ 29.7% Al2O3 (Inferred). These by-product or co-product opportunities could enhance project economics and diversify revenue streams during production.
The mineralisation is amenable to low-strip, low-cost open-pit mining, with potential low-cost processing methods under evaluation. Hosted within shallow saprolite over amphibolite basement, the project’s geology supports economical extraction and processing pathways, positioning it competitively in terms of capital and operating costs within critical mineral supply security.
Expansion of Cobar West District-Scale Landholding and Copper Prospects
During the June 2026 quarter, West Cobar Metals significantly expanded its exploration tenure in New South Wales to approximately 1,090 square kilometres, covering about 120 kilometres strike of prospective Cobar stratigraphy. This district-scale position includes multiple large concealed copper targets with geological, geophysical, and geochemical traits similar to established Cobar-style mineral systems such as the CSA Mine and Hera deposit.
The expanded landholding features the Blind Freddie and Lilyvale prospects as key exploration targets advancing toward drill testing. West Cobar believes the Cobar West Project could develop into a major new copper district, supported by the existing Bulla Park resource and multiple large gravity and geochemical targets. The district positioning and target quality indicate significant copper discovery potential.
Bulla Park Copper-Antimony-Silver Resource and Metallurgical Recovery
The Bulla Park deposit, central to Cobar West, contains an Inferred Mineral Resource of 20 million tonnes at 0.58% copper equivalent (CuEq), including 0.30% copper, 0.10% antimony, and 4.7 g/t silver. The resource remains open for expansion with mineralisation extending along strike and down-dip, supported by a strong gravity anomaly beyond the current footprint.
Metallurgical testwork at Bulla Park shows robust recoveries: copper at 94.6%, antimony at 84.1%, and silver at 82.6%. These high recovery rates affirm the deposit’s processing feasibility. Recent tenure expansion provides access to additional prospective ground, and the deposit is under review following antimony re-assaying upgrades, potentially improving resource confidence.
Blind Freddie Copper-Gold Target and Upcoming Aircore Drilling
The Blind Freddie prospect hosts one of the largest copper-gold anomalies within the expanded Cobar West tenure. The company reports a copper-gold anomaly exceeding 3 kilometres associated with a major structure and gravity high, offering strong technical criteria for a concealed copper deposit. Anomalous ferruginous lag material has been identified, with geochemical sampling highlighting zones of strongest copper anomalism.
Land access agreements are secured and approvals are progressing for initial aircore drilling targeting the strongest copper anomalies at Blind Freddie in Q3 2026. Additional geochemical sampling over a 5-kilometre gold anomaly southwest of Blind Freddie is planned, with reverse circulation drilling expected to follow on priority targets to test mineralisation at depth.
Lilyvale Copper Prospect and Ground Gravity Survey Plans
Lilyvale exhibits strong gravity anomaly characteristics similar to the Bulla Park mineralised system, providing a high-confidence basis for exploration targeting. Surface rock chip sampling has returned anomalous copper values, supporting the prospectivity for concealed copper mineralisation. The target also shows widespread lead anomalism comparable to Bulla Park’s system, strengthening its technical appeal.
Land access agreements and approvals are advancing for a ground gravity survey at Lilyvale, intended to refine drill targets ahead of copper mineralisation testing. Although timing details were not disclosed, this geophysical work is expected before drilling commences. Lilyvale’s proximity to Bulla Park and its strong gravity and geochemical signatures highlight it as a significant discovery opportunity within the district.
Antimony Re-assaying Enhancements and Bulla Park Resource Review
West Cobar is reviewing the Bulla Park deposit following recent antimony re-assaying upgrades. While specific details and timelines were not provided, these upgrades may enhance antimony grade confidence and overall resource value.
Antimony is a critical mineral used in electronics, defence, and advanced alloys, with supply concerns outside China driving demand for primary production. Improved antimony confidence at Bulla Park could increase its strategic importance and support accelerated development studies. The company’s focus on this review indicates potential forthcoming updates to resource estimates or mining studies.
Engagement with US Government on Critical Mineral Supply and Funding
West Cobar Metals continues collaboration with US advisors to advance formal submissions and raise project profiles within the US Government, aiming to secure critical mineral supply funding. This reflects the strategic significance of scandium, rare earth elements, and antimony for US defence, technology, and energy sectors. The company is positioning its Salazar and Cobar West projects within US critical mineral supply security frameworks.
Specific details on submission nature, funding mechanisms, or timelines were not disclosed. However, active engagement suggests West Cobar sees substantial value in accessing US critical mineral initiatives, potentially securing offtake agreements or development funding. This strategic approach adds a catalyst for advancement beyond traditional financing.
Upcoming Exploration and Development Catalysts Across Portfolio
West Cobar Metals is poised with multiple near-term drilling and pre-development catalysts at Salazar and Cobar West. At Salazar, an aircore drilling program targets high-grade scandium zones, with ongoing metallurgical testwork focused on heap leach and magnetic rare earth concentrate (MREC) potential, alongside scoping and pre-feasibility studies advancing.
At Cobar West, aircore drilling at Blind Freddie is planned for Q3 2026, complemented by ground gravity surveys at Lilyvale to refine drill targets. Reverse circulation drilling is anticipated on priority targets following initial aircore programs. These activities aim to unlock the district-scale copper discovery potential, representing key value creation and shareholder value catalysts in the coming quarters.
