Anax Metals Limited (ASX: ANX, Anax, or the Company) is pleased to provide an update to the market on its corporate strategy focused on the recommencement of production at the Whim Creek Copper Project (Project), located 115km southwest of Port Hedland in the West Pilbara region of Western Australia (Figure 1). The Project is 80% owned by Anax with the remaining 20% owned by Develop Global Limited (ASX: DVP, Develop).
Anax’s Managing Director, Geoff Laing commented: “The Whim Creek asset continues to shape up as a strategic processing hub for the Pilbara. The robust standalone project delivers attractive economic outcomes which are highly leveraged to base metal prices.
The recent increase in copper and other key metal prices has significantly enhanced project financial metrics. Anax is ideally positioned to benefit from the positive momentum building in copper demand on the back of its critical role in electrification and green technologies
The team has worked diligently to ensure the Whim Creek asset is ready for near term production of key energy metals while establishing a platform for growth through the processing hub and resource extensions.”
Figure 1: Location of the Whim Creek Project
Strengthening copper, zinc, lead, silver and gold prices adds significant momentum to Whim Creek’s near-term development and recommencement of operations. Key outcomes from the Whim Creek Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS)1 and Heap Leach Study2 based on current metal price and exchange rate inputs provides a ~32% improvement in the Whim Creek financial outcome and would generate circa $520 million free cash, a Pre-Tax NPV7 of $357M and an IRR of 74%* (noting that the DFS1 and Heap Leach Study2 outputs from March and September 2023 provided an NPV7 of $270M and IRR of 55%, respectively).
Furthermore, price assumptions used in open pit optimisations in the DFS were markedly lower than current commodity prices as shown in Table 1.
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Anax Metals, an ASX-listed exploration company, is dedicated to advancing its copper assets in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Through key joint ventures and strategic partnerships, the company is well-positioned to develop a central processing hub, enhancing operational efficiency and delivering strong investor value.
Anax Metals (ASX:ANX) is a project developer that is on track to begin producing copper and zinc concentrates from its flagship Whim Creek project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The project is 80 percent owned by Anax, with JV partner Develop Global (Develop) owning the remaining 20 percent. The Whim Creek DFS (and leaching study) have demonstrated the opportunity for an eight-year mining operation producing copper concentrates, cathodes and valuable byproducts. The operation will generate $410 million in cash flow and deliver an NPV of $270 million with a development capex of $71 million.
The company believes its growth potential lies both in expanding the mineral resources across the project’s four deposits and in a consolidation strategy that includes a processing hub with a concentrator and heap leach at Whim Creek. Benefits from the consolidation include delivering economies of scale with processing flexibility to treat ores from regional orebodies. The permitted infrastructure is ideally located and suited to becoming the Pilbara-processing hub.
Anax Metals and GreenTech Metals signed a non-binding and non-exclusive memorandum of understanding to assess the potential to treat mined material from GreenTech’s base metal assets, with a focus on the open-pittable Whundo deposit.
Anax Metals also signed a non-binding and non-exclusive memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Artemis Resources (ASX:ARV) to jointly assess the potential for processing the copper content of Artemis’ open-pittable Greater Carlow resource at the fully-permitted Whim Creek Processing hub. Anax and Artemis also agree to evaluate the potential for Artemis to explore for gold mineralisation on the Anax project tenure.
Whim Creek is strategically located along the NW Coastal Highway in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, approximately 120 km from both Port Hedland and Karratha. With a long history of copper production, the project benefits from existing infrastructure, including dams, haul roads, offices, workshops, and a dedicated gas spur line. Currently being developed as an 80/20 joint venture between Anax Metals and Develop Global, Whim Creek hosts four key deposits—Whim Creek, Mons Cupri, Salt Creek, and Evelyn. These deposits feature structurally controlled, volcanic-hosted massive sulphide copper-zinc-lead mineralization, presenting significant development potential.
On-going exploration work at Evelyn resulted in discovering exciting new targets for future drilling campaigns scheduled in early 2025. Exploration works conducted in 2024 indicated high copper grades and new soil anomalies. The company is assessing the regional potential of the granted Evelyn Mining Lease for further high-grade VMS-type, polymetallic base metal deposits.
Anax Metals announced its recent application for an exploration license (E47/5275) covering 65 sub-blocks spanning approximately 207 sq. km, which extends the company’s landholding to the south and west of the Whim Creek joint venture tenement package. Once granted, the new tenement will be 100 percent owned by Anax. The majority of E47/5275 lies within the Whim Creek Greenstone Belt, which is highly prospective for volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralization, similar to the Whim Creek and Mons Cupri deposits.
Since completing the definitive feasibility study in 2023, Anax has promoted Whim Creek as a regional processing hub, with potential for an expanded production capacity over 20 kt copper equivalent. Highlights of the technical report include FCF generation of $410 million over an eight-year mine life. Processing would be predominantly through the planned concentrator. Heap leaching is anticipated to begin in the second year of production.
Anax has achieved significant success with bioleaching technology, reporting up to 80 percent copper and 90 percent zinc extraction rates. This innovative approach enhances metal recovery and supports the company’s commitment to sustainable practices.
A processing hub with sorting, concentrator and heap leach facilities
The company believes the project will also provide a processing solution for surrounding projects located within trucking distance of Anax’s processing facility. In the long term, Anax plans to establish a Pilbara Base Metal Alliance to facilitate collaboration with other base metal projects in the region.
Phillip Jackson is a barrister and solicitor with significant legal and international corporate experience, Phillip Jackson specialises in commercial and contract law, mining and energy law and corporate governance. He has been a director and chairman of a number of ASX and AIM listed minerals companies.
Geoff Laing is a chemical engineer with 30 years in mining and project development. He has been involved in the exploration and junior mining sector for the last 15 years, taking on corporate and advisory roles. He was a key player in Exco Resources’ divestment of a substantial copper asset for $175 million to Xstrata Copper, and as managing director, he delivered the successful takeover of the company by WH Sol Pattinson.
Peter Cordin is a civil engineer with over 45 years' global experience in mining and exploration, both at operational and senior management levels. He has direct experience in the construction and management of diamond and gold operations in Australia, Fenno-Scandinavia and Indonesia.
Phil Warren is a chartered accountant with over 25 years’ experience in board governance, corporate advisory and capital raising advice. Warren has spent a number of years working overseas for major international investment banks. He is currently a non-executive director of ASX listed companies, including Family Zone Cyber Safety, Narryer Metals, Killi Resource and Rent.com.au. He was a founding director of Cassini Resources, which was subsequently acquired by Oz Minerals.
Jenine Owen joined Anax in 2020, where she is responsible for corporate risk management, financial management and financial reporting. She is a chartered accountant with extensive finance and commercial experience, including several CFO roles in ASX listed entities. Having started her career with Deloitte (Zimbabwe) in the external assurance division, she moved to London in 1999 where she held various finance and governance roles before settling in Australia in 2008. Prior to joining Anax, Owen was CFO at Predictive Discovery (ASX:PDI).
Andrew McDonald is a seasoned geologist with over 20 years of experience in project management, development, resource geology, and exploration across a wide range of commodities. He has held roles with several ASX-listed mining companies, where he has led project development and managed regulatory approvals for mining projects in both Australia and the United States.
Dan O’Hara is an experienced environmental professional with over 15 years in environmental management across the mining, oil and gas, construction, and government sectors. In recent years, he has played a key role in securing environmental permits for mining projects in Western Australia.
Near-term copper producer targeting resource growth and a regional consolidation strategy
Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) ("Sun Summit" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of its $6 million 2025 project-wide exploration program at the JD Project, Toodoggone Mining District, north-central British Columbia. Over 5,000 meters of drilling together with geophysical and geochemical surveys are designed to focus on target advancement, target generation and discovery.
Highlights and Next Steps:
Niel Marotta, CEO of Sun Summit Minerals, commented: "We are very excited to have kicked off our 2025 exploration season at our JD project, which is fully funded by the proceeds of our recently completed private placement. The Toodoggone region in north-central British Columbia is one of the hottest mineral exploration districts in Canada, and has seen heightened corporate activity, combined with a large influx of capital. We expect plenty of news flow coming from the Toodoggone over the summer and fall, including drill results from our own aggressive 5,000 metre program."
Figure 1. Map of the Toodoggone District showing the location of the JD Project in relation to other development and exploration projects. Data sourced from Thesis, TDG, Amarc and Centerra's corporate websites.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6142/255925_2d2b07a7743f0abf_001full.jpg
JD Exploration Program
Crews have mobilised to the Toodoggone District to commence the 2025 JD Project exploration season (Figure 1). The primary goal for 2025 multidisciplinary exploration program is to advance and expand the epithermal-related Creek and Finn gold-silver targets through a series of systematic step-out holes, and to generate and refine new priority targets across the highly-prospective 4.5 km long Finn to Creek corridor, as well as the 12 km long JD porphyry trend (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Map of the JD Project showing the broad JD Porphyry trend and the epithermal-related Finn to Creek Corridor. Planned areas for IP and soil surveys are shown in grey. Key targets are highlighted.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6142/255925_2d2b07a7743f0abf_002full.jpg
Creek Zone: Drilling at the Creek Zone (Figure 2) is designed to investigate the lateral and vertical extent of high-grade and bulk-tonnage gold mineralization (e.g., 122.53 m of 2.11 g/t Au, including 20.0 m of 10.01 g/t Au, and including 1.52 m over 121.0 g/t Au, CZ-24-004, Figure 3, see October 2, 2024, news release). Based on new geological and structural modelling, a series of steeply-dipping, northwest trending parallel vein sets with associated halos of disseminated gold mineralization have been defined. Over 3,000 meters across 10 to 12 drill holes are planned to systematically test the vein-controlling structures on 50 to 100 meter pierce-points covering a strike-length of over 700 meters (Figure 3) and a down-dip extent of over 200 meters. Results from this phase of drilling should inform grade continuity, the scale of the epithermal system and where follow-up deeper and/or step-out holes are warranted.
Figure 3. Map of the Creek Zone showing drill collar locations with selected highlights. The area targeted for 2025 drilling is outlined in red. See references below for data sources.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6142/255925_2d2b07a7743f0abf_003full.jpg
Finn Zone: Drilling at the Finn Zone is designed to expand the footprint of high-grade, near-surface base metal-rich gold-silver mineralization intersected in historical drilling (e.g., 35.7 m of 7.26 g/t Au including 1 m of 215.4 g/t Au in hole JD95-0472). Based on an extensive compilation of over 300 historical drill holes, a new geological and structural model suggests that epithermal-related gold-silver mineralization is hosted within veins and vein-breccias situated along a northwest striking and gently dipping volcaniclastic unit. Over 2,000 meters of drilling across 7 to 9 drill holes are planned to test the model along strike (e.g., towards hole JD13-024) and down-dip (e.g., toward JD12-015) covering a strike-length of over 650 meters (Figure 4). Drilling near the higher-grade core may also be completed to verify historical grades, confirm structural controls and explore at depth to assess the geometry and grade of the mineralized footwall zone (e.g., JD12-0093).
Figure 4. Map of the Finn Zone showing historical drill collar locations with selected highlights. The area targeted for 2025 drilling is outlined in red. See references below for data sources.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6142/255925_2d2b07a7743f0abf_004full.jpg
Target Generation: Project-wide exploration activities are aimed at target generation and drill target refinement.
Timeline: Crews have mobilised to site with camp construction, geological mapping, IP Geophysics, and drill pad construction now underway. Drilling at the Creek Zone is anticipated to begin by mid-July, at the latest.
National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure
This news release has been reviewed and approved by Sun Summit's Vice President Exploration, Ken MacDonald, P. Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has not been able to verify the historical exploration data disclosed, including sampling, analytical and test data, underlying the technical information in this news release since such data is historical and the original drill core is not readily available. Some technical information contained in this release is historical in nature and has been compiled from public sources believed to be accurate. The historical technical information has not been verified by Sun Summit and may in some instances be unverifiable dependent on the existence of historical drill core and grab samples.
Community Engagement
Sun Summit is engaging with First Nations on whose territory our projects are located and is discussing their interests and identifying contract and work opportunities, as well as opportunities to support community initiatives. The Company looks forward to continuing to work with local and regional First Nations with ongoing exploration.
Webinar Invitation
Sun Summit Minerals invites investors and interested parties to a live webinar and Q&A hosted by Simone Capital. CEO Niel Marotta will present an overview of the Company's 2025 exploration and drill program.
Date: Thursday, June 19
Time: 4:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM PT
Register: https://app.livestorm.co/simone-capital/sun-summit-minerals-2025-exploration-update
About the JD Project
The JD Project is located in the Toodoggone mining district in north-central British Columbia, a highly prospective deposit-rich mineral trend. The project covers an area of over 15,000 hectares and is in close proximity to active exploration and development projects, such as Thesis Gold's Lawyers and Ranch projects, TDG Gold's Baker-Shasta projects, Amarc Resource's AuRORA project, Centerra's Gold's Kemess East and Underground projects, as well as the past-producing Kemess open pit copper-gold mine.
The project is 450 kilometres northwest of the city of Prince George, and 25 kilometres north of the Sturdee airstrip. It is proximal to existing infrastructure in place to support the past-producing Kemess mine, including roads and a hydroelectric power line.
The JD Project is in a favourable geological environment characterized by both high-grade epithermal gold and silver mineralization, as well as porphyry-related copper and gold mineralization. Some historical exploration, including drilling, geochemistry and geophysics, has been carried out on the property, however the project area is largely underexplored.
About Sun Summit
Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) is a mineral exploration company focused on the discovery, expansion and advancement of district scale gold and copper assets in British Columbia. The Company's diverse portfolio includes the JD Project in the Toodoggone region of north-central B.C., and the Buck Project in central B.C.
Further details are available at www.sunsummitminerals.com.
References
Links to Figures
Figure 1: https://wp-sunsummitminerals-2024.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/media/2025/06/SMN_JD_Plans_20250618_Fig-1.jpg
Figure 2: https://wp-sunsummitminerals-2024.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/media/2025/06/SMN_JD_Plans_20250618_Fig-2-scaled.jpg
Figure 3: https://wp-sunsummitminerals-2024.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/media/2025/06/SMN_JD_Plans_20250618_Fig-3-scaled.jpg
Figure 4: https://wp-sunsummitminerals-2024.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/media/2025/06/SMN_JD_Plans_20250618_Fig-4-scaled.jpg
On behalf of the board of directors,
Niel Marotta
Chief Executive Officer & Director
info@sunsummitminerals.com
For further information, contact:
Matthew Benedetto, Simone Capital
mbenedetto@simonecapital.ca
Tel. 416-817-1226
Forward-Looking Information
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements require management to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate, that the management's assumptions may not be correct and that actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Generally forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "anticipate", "will", "expect", "may", "continue", "could", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may include, but are not limited to, the Company's exploration plans and forecasts; the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; potential mineralization, exploration plans, and engagement with First Nations communities. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect which, without limiting the generality of the following, include: the focus, purpose and goals of project wide exploration; the existence and timing of news releases and updates, if any, coming from the project area; the Company's ability to complete the drill program as currently contemplated; risks inherent in exploration activities; the uncertainties involved in interpreting drill results and other exploration data; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; accidents, equipment breakdowns, title and permitting matters; labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in operations; fluctuating metal prices; unanticipated costs and expenses; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on its projects; that the Company may not be able to confirm historical exploration results; the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; volatility and sensitivity to capital market fluctuations; and fluctuations in metal prices. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof or the dates specifically referenced in this press release, where applicable. Except as required by applicable securities laws and regulation, Sun Summit disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/255925
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