Bryah (ASX:BYH) granted for manganese mining

A 67 per cent upgrade passed the point of critical mass where Bryah Resources could progress mining studies and planning to the production stage, and the Bryah Basin Manganese Joint Venture has taken its next step with mining licences now granted over the JORC resources at its Brumby Creek and Black Hill Prospects.

The resource now stands at 3.07 million tonnes at 20.2 per cent manganese, hosted in a large area containing extensive manganese outcroppings which are the subject of ongoing exploration.

Bryah Chief Executive Officer Ashley Jones said it was an important step in moving on from successful exploration to production.

“Additional tonnes are expected to be added to the current JORC resource from recent drilling at Red Rum and Brumby Creek West. The Mining Licence applications and environmental permitting process are prerequisites to getting this manganese mining area back into production,” Mr Jones said.

The 15 per cent cut-off grade used for the resource is higher than a good number of producers, and Bryah’s joint venture with prominent industry leader OM Holdings believe it has just begun to unlock the area’s true potential.

Work is continuing on exploration and metallurgy to extend resources and define beneficiation yields, with more drill results set to come in this quarter.

Manganese is the most crucial ingredients for steelmaking outside of iron, and on the US list of minerals considered essential to its economy and national security.

But production still largely comes from within Chinese borders, something which offers a large potential value-add to friendly producers as the US moves fast on securing raw supplies of critical metals.

Mining licenses within the tenement holding.