Asian Battery Metals (ASX:AZ9) confirms extensive massive sulphides in due diligence drilling at Maikhan Uul

Asian Battery Metals (ASX:AZ9) has reported a strong start to its due diligence drilling at the Maikhan Uul copper-gold project in southwestern Mongolia, with the first validation hole confirming more than 20 metres of massive sulphide mineralisation.

The results, although based on visual estimates with assays pending, reinforce the company’s geological model and strengthen confidence in historical exploration data.

Highlights

• Drillhole MU2501 intersected multiple massive sulphide intervals totalling 20.35 metres, including 4.8 metres from 132.5 metres and 12.75 metres from 139.7 metres.

• The hole twinned historic drillhole MU_DH1204, which previously recorded 15 metres of massive mineralisation averaging 2.01% copper and 0.83 g/t gold.

• Maikhan Uul lies just 8 kilometres from the company’s flagship Oval Cu-Ni-PGE project, providing potential logistical and infrastructure synergies.

• A six-month option is in place to acquire 100% of the Maikhan Uul Mining Licence for US$890,000, subject to completion of technical and legal due diligence.

• Assays for MU2501 are expected within three to five weeks.

Asian Battery Metals’ due diligence program at Maikhan Uul is aimed at verifying historic drilling results and assessing the potential for a modern JORC-compliant resource within this copper-gold volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) system.

The initial hole, MU2501, was designed to validate the exceptional results reported from the 2012 drillhole MU_DH1204, which intersected multiple copper-rich zones, including 6 metres at 2.62% copper and 0.68 g/t gold, and 9 metres at 1.61% copper and 0.94 g/t gold.

The company reports that MU2501 closely replicated the mineralisation patterns observed in the historical drilling, intersecting strong sulphide mineralisation dominated by pyrite and chalcopyrite, with intervals interpreted to correspond to the same mineralised zones as MU_DH1204.

The geological setting, felsic volcanic rocks with chlorite-sericite-silicic alteration, displays characteristics typical of VMS systems known for hosting substantial base and precious metal resources.

Asian Battery Metals Managing Director, Gan-Ochir Zunduisuren, said the twin hole result confirmed the geological potential of the project, noting that

“this result has increased our confidence in our analysis of the project. We look forward to receiving the initial assay results soon.”

The Maikhan Uul project is covered by Mining Licence MV-019681 and has a history of detailed exploration, including 23 drillholes and 13 trenches completed between 2010 and 2013 by previous operator Samtan Mores LLC (now Best Resources LLC).

While historical data suggested zones of high-grade copper and gold, the company cautions that these earlier results are being re-evaluated under the JORC 2012 Code.

Asian Battery Metals has engaged Competent Person Robert Dennis to lead the validation of the historical database, with his initial review identifying data quality issues typical of older programs, including the use of internal rather than external QAQC reporting, limited downhole surveys, and incomplete trench sampling records.

Nonetheless, the twinning exercise appears to support the integrity of the key intercepts and provides a solid foundation for a potential modern resource assessment.

The Maikhan Uul acquisition aligns with Asian Battery Metals’ broader strategy of consolidating its critical minerals portfolio in Mongolia.

The project’s proximity to the company’s Oval Cu-Ni-PGE discovery offers potential operational synergies and a diversified exposure across copper, nickel, platinum group elements, and gold; metals central to the global energy transition.

With assays pending for both the Maikhan Uul and Oval projects, Asian Battery Metals is entering a pivotal period of technical validation and strategic positioning.

The coming quarter will be crucial as the company finalises its due diligence on Maikhan Uul, completes metallurgical test work, and advances ongoing drilling and downhole EM surveys across its Mongolian portfolio.

In a region historically underexplored by Western-listed companies, Asian Battery Metals’ work at Maikhan Uul represents an important step toward confirming the scale and quality of Mongolia’s copper-gold potential within the framework of the modern energy economy.