WA Mining Weekly Apr 27 - May 3
Rio's 145,700-hectare power move
This Week’s Big Stories
Rio Tinto Adds 145,700 Hectares in Multi-Commodity Pilbara Push
Rio Tinto Exploration Pty Limited is acquiring five new tenements this week, including E69/4405, E69/4406, and E45/7297, adding 145,700 hectares to a portfolio that already spans 71 tenements (59 exploration, 11 miscellaneous licence, 1 prospecting) across the Pilbara mineral field. The E69-prefix blocks sit in a corridor that, according to industry literature, was historically explored for Nebo-Babel style nickel-copper-PGE mineralisation. Industry context suggests the same ground is now attracting renewed interest for scandium potential, a critical metal used in aerospace alloys and solid oxide fuel cells, among other applications. The regional commodity thesis has reportedly shifted as scandium supply chains tighten globally. Rio’s move to add ground here fits a recognisable major-tier playbook: accumulate regional scale while the commodity case is still being established by smaller operators, then control the footprint if the district matures into a development decision. With 71 tenements already on the books and another five added in a single week, Rio is not dabbling. Whether the E69 blocks ultimately prove out for scandium or revert to base metals will depend on work programmes that are still ahead, but the land position itself is now substantially larger.
Chalice Quietly Closes the Chapter on its Kimberley Frontier Nickel Dream
CGM (WA) Pty Ltd has surrendered three tenements — E80/5343, E80/5270, and E80/5269 — covering 105,400 hectares of what industry sources describe as West Kimberley ground. Corporate registry records indicate CGM (WA) Pty Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chalice Mining. According to company disclosures, Chalice assembled this position around 2019 as part of a roughly 1,800 km² consolidation called the King Leopold Nickel Project, targeting magmatic nickel sulphides within the Ruins and Hart Dolerite — a play that, at the time, was riding momentum from Buxton Resources’ nearby Merlin discovery. The corporate calculus has since shifted dramatically. Chalice’s subsequent Julimar find and the resulting Gonneville Nickel-Copper-PGE project have, by all public accounts, become the company’s dominant focus, with company guidance pointing to a targeted Final Investment Decision around 2028. Chalice had already begun rationalising its Kimberley exposure — reportedly selling the Hawkstone project to Stavely Minerals for approximately $1.4 million in 2023. This latest surrender of all three remaining E80 blocks reads as the final chapter on the Kimberley frontier play. The pattern is consistent: shed the speculative periphery, concentrate resources on commercialising what appears to be a genuinely generational discovery in the Wheatbelt.
FE Metals’ Post-Wittenoom Pivot in the Pilbara
FE Metals Pty Ltd is picking up four new Pilbara tenements this week, including E47/5415, E47/5416, and E47/5417. DMPE registry records indicate FE Metals operates as a subsidiary of Macro Metals (ASX:M4M). The new applications arrive in the wake of a reputational bruising: the company’s contracted geologist inadvertently lodged an exploration licence application within the degazetted Wittenoom Asbestos Management Area, the site of Australia’s worst industrial disaster. According to industry sources, the application was withdrawn in March by managing director Simon Rushton, who stressed the company had no intention of working the contaminated ground. The episode reportedly prompted calls for legislative changes to permanently close the zone to pegging. The new E47 blocks represent a return to uncontentious greenfield ground. DMPE registry records place E47/5415 near Windarra Well, and the broader E47 corridor sits well clear of the asbestos zone, according to industry sources. Analysts would read this as a straightforward portfolio reset: rebuild a credible Pilbara footprint on clean ground while the Wittenoom episode fades from the news cycle. Four tenements is a modest start, but the direction is clear.
Contested Ground
8 Applications Lodged in Coolgardie
Eastern Coolgardie Goldfields Pty Ltd, Northern Star (South Kalgoorlie) Pty Ltd, Yarri Resources Pty Ltd, Talonx Resources Limited, and Hawker Geological Services Pty Ltd lodged 8 new applications in the Coolgardie mineral field.
4 Applications Lodged in North Coolgardie
Resource Mining Pty Ltd, Joseph Robert Bradley, and Yerilla Nickel Pty Ltd lodged 4 new applications in the North Coolgardie mineral field.
3 Applications Lodged in Pilbara
Abeh Pty Ltd and Albemarle Wodgina Pty Ltd lodged 3 new applications in the Pilbara mineral field.
3 Applications Lodged in Mt Margaret
Dargan Maurice John Camin and Berma Prospecting Pty Ltd lodged 3 new applications in the Mt Margaret mineral field.
Ground Set to Expire This Week
Live tenements expiring in the next 7 days with no renewal applied for.
Rumble Resources 6,664 ha expiring in Marble Bar
Mid-tier holder Rumble Resources Limited has 6,664 ha in the Marble Bar mineral field that is set to expire on 12 May 2026.
Marda Operations 1,764 ha expiring in Yilgarn
Mid-tier holder Marda Operations Pty Ltd has 1,764 ha in the Yilgarn mineral field that is due to expire on 7 May 2026.
FQM Australia 392 ha expiring in Phillips River
Mid-tier holder FQM Australia Nickel Pty Ltd has 392 ha in the Phillips River mineral field that is set to expire on 6 May 2026.
Warrigal Mining 61 ha expiring at Mt. Magnet
Mid-tier holder Warrigal Mining Pty Ltd has 61 ha in the Mt. Magnet mineral field that is due to expire on 9 May 2026.
AusQuest 15,680 ha expiring in Warburton
Junior holder AusQuest Limited has 15,680 ha in the Warburton mineral field that is set to expire on 11 May 2026.
Lightning Minerals 6,664 ha expiring at Mt. Malcolm
Junior holder Lightning Minerals Ltd has 6,664 ha in the Mt. Malcolm mineral field that is due to expire on 11 May 2026.
Galan Lithium 4,900 ha expiring in South West
Junior holder Galan Lithium Limited has 4,900 ha in the South West mineral field that is set to expire on 9 May 2026.
Cosmo Gold 3,332 ha expiring at Mt. Margaret
Junior holder Cosmo Gold Limited has 3,332 ha in the Mt. Margaret mineral field that is due to expire on 10 May 2026.
Calidus Blue Spec 2,352 ha expiring at Nullagine
Junior holder Calidus Blue Spec Pty Ltd has 2,352 ha in the Nullagine mineral field that is set to expire on 9 May 2026.
Blue Ribbon Mines 2,156 ha expiring in South West
Junior holder Blue Ribbon Mines Pty Ltd has 2,156 ha in the South West mineral field that is due to expire on 9 May 2026.
For more information on these stories or anything else going on WA this week, check out NextMaps, for all the mining news that’s fit to print: https://nextmaps.com.au/
Disclaimer
Tenement expiry dates, applications, transfers, and status changes are based on currently available data and may not reflect real-time outcomes. There is often a 4–6 week delay for Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration to process, lodge, and gazette dealings, meaning ground referenced as “expiring”, “relinquished”, or “transferred” may already have been renewed, surrendered, amended, or otherwise dealt with but not yet publicly reflected.
This information is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute a definitive statement of tenement status, ownership, or availability. Coverage is not exhaustive. No guarantee is given that ground identified will become available, or as to the timing of any such availability. Users should verify all tenement details and dealings directly with official government sources before making any commercial or exploration decisions.
All commentary and interpretations are based on public data and are subject to change as new information becomes available.
Live spatial overlays highlighting tenement drops and upcoming compulsory or voluntary surrenders are available on NextMaps, derived from the MTO dealings feed and the DASC.