BHP - Balkash-Ili Arc porphyry licences27 Nov 2025 14:20
Today's news seems overlooked... these licences come from the work undertaken under the BHP Xplor grant. Nice to have BHP already onboard with preemption rights.
Extract from the RNS announcing the grant: "East Star has developed a strategy of regional target generation for copper porphyry deposits, principally focussed on the Balkash-Ili magmatic arc, host to the Kounrad deposit (~650Mt @ 0.59% Cu) and Aktogai-Aidarly (~2.5Bt @ 0.39% Cu). By applying modern mineral systems concepts with advanced desktop analytical techniques and on the ground geological confirmation, East Star intends to secure several exploration licences within the area of interest for further field work. The BHP Xplor grant will be directed towards licence costs, field programmes, desktop evaluation work, and staff and administrative costs in the execution of the work plan...... The grant is a once off opportunity and there are no obligations or commitments on East Star beyond the conclusion of the Xplor programme; however, East Star has committed to grant BHP certain pre-emption rights with respect to investments in East Star or its projects within the programme."
https://www.lse.co.uk/rns/EST/grant-from-bhp-appointment-of-director-5p2ozleoy8jo5kc.html
These are rich grounds to explore [Xplor!]