Venari Minerals NL has commenced a 12-hole, 3,360-metre diamond drilling campaign at its Red Mountain Lithium Project in Nevada, marking a shift from the resource definition phase toward development studies.

The program specifically targets the northern sector of the project, which contains 47.9 million tonnes at 2,193 ppm lithium. The company aims to upgrade this high-grade zone from the Inferred category, reported in its February 2026 maiden mineral resource estimate, to the higher-confidence Indicated status. This upgrade is intended to provide the foundation for a maiden scoping study, which is now targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2027.

“The commencement of this key in-fill drilling campaign at Red Mountain marks an important first step in advancing the Project from resource definition toward development studies.”

“Red Mountain continues to emerge as a strategically important US critical minerals project. Following the successful completion of the first tranche of our recent $6.1 million capital raising, we are now well-funded to execute this important work program and continue unlocking the project's value.”

— Tony Leibowitz, Executive Chairman

The drilling campaign is expected to take approximately six weeks to complete. Venari anticipates the progressive release of assay results between September and late November 2026.

The project remains part of the company's broader strategic focus on contributing to domestic US lithium supply chains. To date, Venari has demonstrated the ability to process mineralised material from the site into 99.5% pure battery-grade lithium carbonate without requiring third-party facilities.

Read the full announcement: High-Grade Upgrade Drilling Commences - Red Mountain