The Tasmanian Government has opened round 10 of its Exploration Drilling Grant Initiative (EDGI) in an effort to support industry and investors in finding critical mining opportunities.
The first eight rounds of the EDGI has paid out $1.89 million in grants for 19.6km of drilling. The program provides up to $70,000 for direct drilling costs and $20,000 for required helicopter support for successful applicants.
“There is a global shift to find the minerals needed to build our economy and Tasmania can be a leader in this endeavour,” Tasmanian Minister for Business, Industry and Resources Eric Abetz said.
“This funding will allow mineral explorers to test greenfield locations which may lead to our next big mineral discovery.
“We know exploration leads to more resources projects and more jobs in the future for Tasmanians.”
Abetz said the program has helped mineral exploration in Tasmania reach its highest levels on record.
“More than $36.6 million was spent on Tasmanian mineral exploration over the past 12 months, and the Exploration Drilling Grant Initiative will further enhance our state’s booming mineral resources industry,” he said.
“The EDGI funded discovery of high-grade tin and base metal mineralisation at North Scamander and Elementos’ recent announcement of a narrow but high-grade copper-gold mineralised zone at Luina show we’re starting to see strong results.”
Applications for round 10 close on August 30, with successful applications expected to be announced in late September.