- $11.2 million offered across three EIS programs
- Mineral exploration keeping WA at the forefront of global resource development
- 77 projects to benefit from funding
Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael today announced the successful applicants for Round 31 of the Exploration Incentive Scheme’s (EIS) Co-funded Drilling Program, Series 8 of the Energy Analysis Program (EAP), and Venture 2 of the Co-funded Geophysics Program (CGP).
The Cook Government is offering $11.2 million across the three EIS programs.
Forty-nine projects will receive grants totalling $7.8 million to support drilling, 25 geophysics ventures will receive $3.2 million and three EAP projects will receive a total of $200,000.
Encouragingly, about 50 per cent of the successful applicants receiving funding for drilling are targeting critical minerals, while 75 per cent of CGP ventures are focused on uncovering new deposits.
Recent EIS success stories include Ora Banda Mining, which identified high-grade gold mineralisation at its Little Gem discovery, with the work co-funded as part of Round 29. The carbonate rock at the site was fractured by actinolite, potentially creating pathways for high-grade gold deposits.
Ora Banda Mining has also completed a further five-hole diamond program, intersecting multiple mineralised zones, including the Diamond Lode and Ruby Lode.
Other notable successes from EIS participants include significant gold mineralisation in two drillholes at Yandal Resources’ New England Granite prospect (Round 28), high-grade niobium intercepts from Dreadnought Resources’ Stinger prospect (Round 28), and a new rare earth element lode at Kingfisher Mining’s MW2 prospect (Round 29).
The Co-funded Drilling Program will open for Round 32 applications in August 2025.
Applications for Series 9 of the Energy Analysis Program and Venture 3 of the Co-funded Geophysics Program will open in February 2026. For more information on the EIS and this round’s successful applicants, visit: Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS)
Comments attributed to Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael:
“The Cook Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme is helping to shape a future where the benefits of our mineral wealth will last for generations.
“The EIS plays a pivotal role in overcoming the financial barriers that often prevent early-stage projects from reaching their full potential, and we are committed to ensuring these opportunities prosper.
“I encourage all eligible companies to take advantage of the EIS and continue their valuable work in researching, exploring, and developing the minerals that are shaping our future.”
Media contact: Stuart McKinnon 0498 371 597 or 6552 5100
