- 01Elizabeth Hill MRE rises 20.3% to 3.36Moz.
- 02Indicated resource share climbs to 77%.
- 03Scoping study advances; next MRE targeted for March 2027.
West Coast Silver (ASX: WCE) has increased the contained silver mineral resource estimate at its Elizabeth Hill project in Western Australia by 20.3% to 3.36 million ounces after incorporating additional drilling and a revised geological model.
The updated inventory comprises 234,700 tonnes grading 446 grams per tonne silver, compared with 141,000t at 617g/t in April.
Importantly, the proportion of contained silver classified as Indicated has risen from 13% to 77%, giving the company a larger higher-confidence resource base for technical studies.
The estimate covers the full deposit rather than West Coast Silver’s attributable interest, with the company holding 70% of the Elizabeth Hill mining lease and Alien Metals retaining 30%.
Resource Confidence Growth
Contained silver increased by approximately 568,000 ounces, while resource tonnage climbed 66.5%, with the lower average grade reflecting additional lower-grade material captured by the revised interpretation.
The Indicated component now contains 2.59Moz at 411g/t in 195,900t, while the remaining Inferred resource comprises 776,000oz at 622g/t in 38,800t.
The revision incorporates 46 additional drill holes and almost 4,000 further silver assays, alongside changes to the interpreted mineralised domains and estimation methodology.
Closer-spaced drilling, generally around five metres by 5m in the more thoroughly tested zones, underpins the increased confidence classification rather than representing an equivalent increase in total metal.
High-Grade Core Retained
Despite the broader resource envelope, approximately 95% of the contained silver sits within 74,700t grading 1,333g/t using a 60g/t sensitivity cut-off.
The higher-grade subset contains 3.20Moz that it is part of the same MRE, meaning it cannot be added to the headline resource figure.
The estimate is depleted for historical underground mining and constrained by a conceptual open-pit shell, with the 20g/t reporting cut-off maintained from April.
“The increased level of confidence supports West Coast Silver advancing to a scoping study that will provide shareholders and the market the first snapshot of potential project economics and development options,” chief executive officer Sergei Smolonogov said.
“West Coast Silver has already commenced metallurgical, geotechnical, and engineering studies that will be part of the baseline of the scoping-level assessment.”
Follow-Up Extensional Drilling
Follow-up drilling has begun on the north-west extension, which is included in the revised estimate only as Inferred material and requires more work to establish continuity.
Testing is also under way at Elizabeth Hill Deeps beneath the main deposit, where interpreted mineralisation remains unclassified and excluded from the current resource.
West Coast Silver is targeting another MRE update in March 2027 ahead of the scoping study, with further drilling intended to test resource extensions and strengthen geological confidence.
Elizabeth Hill produced approximately 1.19Moz of silver before underground mining ceased in 2000, providing historical operating context without establishing the economics of any future restart.
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