Alma Metals Boosts Briggs Copper Capacity with New Exploration Camp

Alma Metals (ASX: ALM) has acquired a fully equipped 16-person exploration camp at the Briggs copper project in central Queensland. The new camp doubles the company's on-site staffing capacity and allows a second drill rig to mobilise, accelerating resource growth and pre-feasibility work.

The camp includes rooms with ensuite, television, reverse cycle air-conditioning, and a small refrigerator. A purpose-built kitchen and mess facility will prepare meals for site crews. The infrastructure is rated to cyclone-proof standards for Queensland conditions. Contractors have been engaged to reconnect electrical and plumbing services ahead of commissioning next month.

Alma currently holds a 51% controlling interest in Briggs under a joint venture with Canterbury Resources (ASX: CBY). Following an oversubscribed $4 million share placement, the company is fully funded to complete the final stage-three earn-in expenditure and secure a total 70% stake.

The extra rig will build on Alma's current single-rig 30,000-metre infill campaign. The company reports strong penetration rates and copper mineralisation in all four holes completed to date.

Managing director Dr Frazer Tabeart said the new infrastructure would improve the company’s ability to scale operations at Briggs. “With proper on-site accommodation in place, we can bring a second drill rig to site, keep our technical and management teams in the field and significantly reduce the fatigue and logistics challenges associated with our current arrangements,” he said. “This builds an operational platform to match the scale of the opportunity at Briggs, driving drilling efficiencies and allowing us to complete pre-feasibility study drilling requirements sooner and at a lower cost.”

Briggs is a large porphyry copper deposit with an indicated and inferred resource of 2 million tonnes of copper metal at a 0.15% cut-off grade. The project sits 60km from the deep-water port of Gladstone, with access to high-voltage power lines, a heavy-haulage railway, gas pipelines, and major roads including the Dawson Highway. For more on copper markets and mining trends, see our commodities analysis.