Gold miner Ariana Resources, which operates the Kiziltepe mine as part of the Red Rabbit joint venture (JV) in Turkey, has its eye on new mineral exploration opportunities, particularly in minerals needed to sustain growth in energy storage and electrification of the transport sector, its chairperson said on Wednesday.
Michael de Villiers said in a chairman’s statement published on the Regulatory News Service of the London Stock Exchange, that Ariana had an extensive exploration database covering Turkey and extending into various surrounding countries in the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt.
“Industry demand for copper in this sector is obvious, but so too is the requirement for more esoteric metals including those across the full spectrum of rare earth elements and others too numerous to mention.”
He noted that Ariana has had prior success in this sector through the discovery of various lithium prospects in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, which were successfully vended in to two separate ASX-listed companies.
“The Ariana team continues to monitor this sector with an eye on new opportunities and with a view to repeating these previous successes in this exciting sector of mineral exploration,” De Villiers said.
Ariana’s current project portfolio includes Kiziltepe, which represents its first producing asset and Tavşan, which is its near-term development asset. The company also has various satellites representing potential additions for the Red Rabbit JV.
Ariana owns 100% of Salinbaş gold/silver project, which it classifies as its large-scale exploration asset. The project comprises the Ardala copper/gold/molybdenum porphyry among other prospects.
In addition, the company has a “special projects” division, headed by Zack van Coller, which continuously appraises new project opportunities.