Antipa Minerals Limited (ASX: AZY) has confirmed that its 100%-owned Minyari project in Western Australia’s Paterson Province is suitable for a conventional gold-copper processing flowsheet. Recent pre-feasibility study (PFS) metallurgical test-work successfully demonstrated robust gold recoveries ranging from 89% to 98% across oxide, transitional, and primary mineralisation types. The results indicate that the project’s ore is free-milling and non-refractory, supporting a standard carbon-in-leach (CIL) process for gold doré production, with the added capability to generate a commercial-grade copper concentrate grading approximately 22% copper.

The metallurgical programme, managed by Strategic Metallurgy, also highlighted rapid leach kinetics, with effective leaching achieved in as little as 24 hours for most material types. These findings simplify the anticipated processing requirements, as the primary mineralisation exhibits low cyanide and lime consumption rates. The technical data confirms that the project can produce a separate copper concentrate through the flotation of CIL residue, providing an additional revenue stream that reinforces the viability of a standalone operation.

Concurrent with the metallurgical successes, geotechnical investigations have provided a significant boost to open pit design optionality. Studies conducted by Entech indicate that steeper overall open pit slope angles are feasible for transitional and primary zones compared to the parameters used in previous scoping studies. For instance, the transitional material slope angle has been improved to 41.2°, up from the 37.0° previously assumed. These design updates allow for a lower strip ratio and potentially facilitate the development of deeper open pit mining, which could reduce or entirely eliminate the current reliance on underground mining methods in the project’s future development schedule.

"Together, these outcomes materially strengthen the Project's technical foundation as we advance all PFS workstreams and position Minyari as a wholly-owned, standalone gold-copper development in Western Australia's Paterson Province."

— Roger Mason, Managing Director

The current technical work is underpinned by an extensive 41,000-metre drilling campaign that began in April 2026. This data is critical for the ongoing PFS optimisation, which involves integrating mine design, processing plant configurations, and updated capital estimates. Antipa holds a substantial 4,500-square-kilometre landholding in the region, with Minyari serving as the cornerstone asset in its portfolio.

The company remains on a structured timeline to complete all remaining technical PFS workstreams by the third quarter of 2026. Following this milestone, the board expects to release the comprehensive PFS outcomes. These results will act as a key indicator of the project’s long-term economic profile, as the company prepares to transition into definitive feasibility study (DFS) activities. With the core processing pathway and pit geometry now better defined, the technical foundation for the project is significantly clearer.

Read the full announcement: PFS Test-work Confirms Conventional Gold-Copper Processing