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Murray Ward
Forrestania Resources has moved a big step closer to becoming a gold producer, awarding a two-year mining contract with a base value of roughly $145 million to MEGA Resources for its Johnson Range project in Western Australia. The move signals a clear transition from project planning to execution.
In a dual dose of news, the company also detailed solid progress on the refurbishment of its nearby Lake Johnston processing hub, a key cog in its plan to become a significant WA gold player.
The contract with MEGA covers the full gamut of open-pit mining services for Johnson Range, including drill and blast, mining, ore and waste haulage, and infrastructure development. Forrestania says the award followed a competitive tender, with MEGA selected for its technical expertise and proven performance.
At Lake Johnston, the company confirmed work is gathering pace, with key refurbishment activities underway and critical long-lead items secured. In a nod to its community links, Forrestania also engaged wholly indigenous-owned contractor, Marlee Resources, to undertake civil works and road maintenance at the site.
‘The award of the Johnson Range contract is a significant step forward for Forrestania.’
Forrestania Resources chairman David Geraghty
The one-two punch of announcements comes as the appetite for WA gold assets runs hot. The local sector has been buzzing with major corporate moves, including Genesis Minerals’ $5.6 billion bid for Vault Minerals and OceanaGold’s recent $776 million play for Ausgold. This wave of consolidation suggests established producers are keenly focused on acquiring quality gold ounces, particularly in a strong price environment, with Perth Mint today quoting gold at A$6486 per ounce.
Forrestania Resources executive chairman David Geraghty said: “The award of the Johnson Range mining contract is a significant step forward for Forrestania and reflects the considerable effort undertaken by our team to establish a robust execution strategy. MEGA Resources was selected as the preferred contractor based on its technical capability and alignment with Forrestania’s performance expectations.”
These latest moves are underpinned by a year-long acquisition blitz that has rapidly transformed the company. Over the past year, Forrestania has been busy snapping up assets, including Kula Gold’s high-grade Mt Palmer project for $58.2 million, Newcam Minerals’ Southern Cross assets for $24 million and a $93.5 million merger with Zenith Minerals to build a total resource base approaching two million ounces.
The strategy is a classic hub-and-spoke model, designed to feed satellite deposits into two central processing hubs. The centrepiece is the $310-million acquisition of the Edna May gold project from Ramelius Resources, which delivered a 2.9-million-tonne-per-annum processing plant.
This complements Forrestania’s Lake Johnston processing plant, where major refurbishment works are well advanced. Once both are fully operational, the company is set to control a formidable combined processing capacity of more than six million tonnes of ore per annum by early 2027.
A prime example of the hub-and-spoke model in action is the company’s British Hill project. Following a recent resource upgrade that bolstered its gold inventory to 175,690 ounces, Forrestania has begun trucking ore from the deposit to the Lake Johnston facility, providing a clear and immediate pathway to production for the asset.
With a major mining contract now locked in, refurbishment of the Lake Johnston mill gathering steam and a pipeline of ore from a growing list of satellite projects, Forrestania has delivered a clear message that it is shifting from an explorer to a producer-in-waiting.
As MEGA Resources prepares to mobilise to the Johnson Range site and plant refurbishment continues at pace, all eyes will be on how quickly Forrestania can bring its integrated production hub to life and start ringing the till in what remains a very strong market for gold producers.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
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