A zinc-germanium mine owned by Battery Age Minerals in Austria.
germanium mine owned by Battery Age Minerals in Austria.
Image: Battery Age Minerals
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Battery Age Minerals (ASX:BM8) is mobilising rigs at its Bleiberg Zinc-Germanium Project in Austria, and will spin them up as soon as possible, after the company this week scored formal approval for maiden drilling.

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The drilling program, which has been in the pipeline for some time, will see Battery Age test multiple targets across a 100 kilometre corridor the company says is “known to host historical mineralisation” and rich in germanium zones.

This week’s community approval was granted after Bad Bleiberg, the closest town to the project, held a hearing where the project was “strongly supported.”

“This is a watershed moment for Battery Age,” said company CEO Nigel Broomham after confirming the “landmark milestone” for holders on Monday.

“Our first drilling permit at Bleiberg is the culmination of a deliberate, respectful, and technically robust process. We are deeply grateful to the local authorities and community stakeholders who have supported us,” he added.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to build trust… we now have approvals to begin drill testing some of the most compelling critical mineral targets in Europe.”

Battery Age’s campaign – drawn up for 18 months now – will target zones interpreted from integrated datasets collected at the Austrian project, including geophysical surveys, geological mapping, past government research, and historical mine plans, some of which date back as far as 700 years.

“We’re entering a new phase of value creation at Blebierg,” Mr Broomham said, declaring Battery Age is now firmly positioned “to play a leading role in reshaping Europe’s access to critical technology metals.”

Alongside this drill program, HotCopper understands Battery Age’s chiefs will also be opening early talks with potential downstream partners across Europe.

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These will range from specialty chemical processors and semiconductor material suppliers to strategic end-users who can leverage zinc and germanium.

BM8 halted on the news but was last 5.5cps. It’s tipped to pop +9% on return.

Join the discussion: See what HotCopper users are saying about Battery Age Metals and be part of the conversations that move the markets.

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