Nordic Resources (ASX:NNL) expands gold inventory with Hirsikangas Resource, lifting total to 1.23Moz AuEq

Nordic Resources Limited (ASX:NNL) has announced a major upgrade to its gold inventory with the release of a maiden JORC 2012-compliant Mineral Resource Estimate for the Hirsikangas Gold Project in central Finland.

The new estimate adds 264,000 ounces of contained gold, taking the Company’s total gold equivalent resources to 1.23 million ounces across its three Finnish projects.

Significantly, 66 percent of this total is now classified in the Measured and Indicated categories.

Hirsikangas, which had received relatively little attention during the initial acquisition, has proven to be a substantial near-surface orogenic gold system.

It joins the more advanced Kopsa gold-copper project and the Angesneva deposit within the Kiimala Trend to form a growing regional gold platform in the Middle Ostrobothnia Gold Belt.

In this Q&A, Executive Director Rob Wrixon discusses the significance of the new estimate, how it fits into the Company’s regional strategy, and what lies ahead.

What is the significance of the new Hirsikangas Mineral Resource Estimate to Nordic’s overall strategy?

The Hirsikangas estimate has added meaningful scale to the portfolio and exceeded early expectations.

It brings in 7.29 million tonnes at 1.13 grams per tonne gold, including over 100,000 ounces in the Indicated category, which reflects the strength of the historical drilling and the consistency of the mineralisation.

“Hirsikangas was somewhat of unknown in this transaction, with the Company’s focus firmly on the Kopsa.”

“However, just like Kopsa and Angesneva, the gold resource at Hirsikangas essentially starts from surface and is far more substantial than previously understood by NNL, with obvious exploration upside.”

This update reinforces the strategy of building a multi-asset gold portfolio in central Finland.

All three projects are within 75 kilometres of each other, and each offers shallow mineralisation, strong exploration upside, and potential to support a centralised development model.

How does Hirsikangas compare to Kopsa and Kiimala in terms of scale and development potential?

Kopsa remains the flagship, both in terms of scale and development readiness, with 814,800 ounces of gold equivalent supported by a copper credit.

The Angesneva deposit in the Kiimala Trend contributes high-grade gold at 1.19 grams per tonne, and now Hirsikangas brings in additional tonnes and ounces that are shallow, continuous, and well defined.

Together, these projects provide diversity and optionality across the portfolio and they are all located within trucking distance of each other and existing infrastructure, which provides flexibility when assessing development pathways and processing scenarios.

“Hirsikangas and Angesneva, with their proximity to Kopsa, add significant value to the regional development options currently under consideration.”

What are the key exploration upsides at Hirsikangas moving forward?

The current JORC resource only covers about 2.5 kilometres of a 10 kilometre prospective trend, so there is considerable strike length left to explore.

Beyond the known deposit, a parallel mineralised structure approximately 200 metres to the northeast has been identified.

Although it lies outside the current resource envelope, it has already returned strong intercepts, including 7.3 metres at 4.78 grams per tonne gold.

Additional targets at Hanni and Hanni SE have returned high-grade scout drilling results, indicating the potential for multiple zones of mineralisation.

The next step is to systematically follow up these areas with drilling designed to expand the resource and better define the locally mineralised system.

What processing options exist for the Hirsikangas deposit?

The central Finland region offers access to existing processing infrastructure, which improves the development outlook for all three projects.

The Pyhäsalmi plant, with a capacity of 1.4 million tonnes per annum, is situated around 40 kilometres east of Kopsa and remains in reduced operation.

The Laiva gold plant, located approximately 120 kilometres from Hirsikangas, was built in 2012 and has a nameplate capacity of 2.2 million tonnes per annum, although it is currently on care and maintenance.

Alongside these options, there is always the option to establish a standalone processing plant at Kopsa.

The proximity of these assets to road and rail further supports a regional development model with multiple possible pathways.

What do the metallurgical results tell us about the potential gold recovery at Hirsikangas?

Metallurgical testing carried out by Belvedere Resources demonstrated an average gold recovery of 93 percent using cyanide bottle roll techniques.

Samples were taken from both Belvedere and GTK drill programs and processed using sodium cyanide-based Leachwell reagents, with gold recovery analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry.

These results confirm that gold at Hirsikangas is amenable to conventional leaching processes.

High recovery rates like this reduce technical risk and support straightforward processing, which improves the development case for the project as part of the Company’s broader gold strategy.

“The addition of Hirsikangas brings the total gold equivalent resource inventory to 1.23Moz AuEq, with 66% in the Measured and Indicated categories.”

Strategic scale and strong foundations

The updated Hirsikangas resource has reinforced Nordic Resources’ position within the Middle Ostrobothnia Gold Belt, lifting the Company’s total gold equivalent inventory to 1.23 million ounces.

With most of the resource classified in the Measured and Indicated categories, Nordic is well placed to advance into the next phase of its development strategy.

Drill mobilisation at Kopsa is expected in the coming weeks, with scalable resources, strong metallurgical characteristics, and access to regional processing infrastructure.

Nordic Resources is progressing a centralised, multi-asset gold production platform in one of Europe’s most prospective but underexplored gold provinces.

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