There hasn’t been a standalone gallium mine since Apex Mine shut down in 1987 due to low demand and competition from byproduct production, primarily in China, which refined gallium as a byproduct from bauxite (aluminum) and zinc smelting. With China now banning exports, gallium has become a critical mineral, essential for semiconductors and defense applications.
Nimy’s Exploration Target (9.6 – 14.3 Mt) is significantly larger than historical standalone gallium mines like Apex, but it’s still early-stage and unproven. While current grades are below typical economic thresholds, the sheer size of the target could justify production—if verified as being in a rock formation where gallium extraction is viable.
Key Questions:
1️⃣ Is the gallium in oxidized rock or sulphides? (Oxides are recoverable; sulphides would likely make extraction uneconomical).
2️⃣ What will the actual JORC resource be? (Exploration targets don’t guarantee economic viability).
Given that Nimy’s Exploration Target comes from just 4 drill holes, the resource could be much larger, but it could also turn out to be a few anomalous hits, meaning the whole thing is a washout.
Nimy has a drilling contractor for an expanded campaign targeting gallium at Block 3 East, aiming to extend the known mineralization by 400 meters and infill the current resource area. Copper remains a secondary target, with gallium as the primary focus.
I would expect the program to include 12-16 new drill holes, based on standard drill spacing of 50m per hole, to define the resource further. Samples from this drilling will then be used for metallurgical testing to determine gallium extraction viability, and Nimy aims to establish a maiden JORC resource following the campaign.
If further drilling expands high-grade zones and proves recoverability, Nimy could become a major gallium source and the first standalone gallium mine since Apex. But without that proof, it remains highly speculative.
Drilling is imminent. Fingers crossed.
(20min delay)