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WA1 Resources (ASX:WA1) said that the Australian government has granted its flagship Luni niobium project Major Project Status.
The company added that this designation highlights Luni’s national significance and its potential to strengthen Australia’s economy. The status also provides case management and coordinated access to the Federal Government through the Department of Industry, Science and Resources’ Major Projects Facilitation Agency.
The Minister for Industry and Innovation reportedly granted the status to Luni for an initial period of three years.
“The scale and grade of Luni make it the most important niobium discovery globally in the past 70 years and deserving of its place as a project of national significance,” commented WA Resources Managing Director Paul Savich.
Luni was labeled “the most significant niobium discovery in more than 70 years” in 2024, following its July 1, 2024, inferred resource update of 200 million tonnes at 1.0 percent niobium pentoxide.
The project was discovered in November 2022 during WA1 Resources’ first drill program in West Arunta.
“Since the initial MRE, 46 percent of Luni’s contained niobium has been upgraded to Indicated classification from within the two key high-grade zones (eastern and western), providing a strong basis for development studies and potential future operating flexibility,” WA Resource wrote on its website.
On November 17, the company also published assay results from infill drilling at Luni, which included 67.3 metres at 5.4 percent niobium pentoxide.
“Activities at Luni have expanded and diversified, including the construction of further pre-development siteworks to support detailed studies, which are set to culminate in the delivery of important project milestones in 2026,” Savich said in the results announcement.
The company said it is expecting to update Luni’s mineral resource estimate in 2026.
