White Cliff Minerals Focuses on High-Grade Canadian Copper Projects

White Cliff Minerals Secures $1.2 Million Cash from Reedy South Gold Project Sale

White Cliff Minerals (ASX: WCN) has announced a binding agreement to sell its Reedy South Gold Project to Bain Global Resources for $1.2 million in cash. The strategic divestment allows the company to focus entirely on its promising White Cliff Minerals Canadian copper projects, where drilling is already underway at the Rae Copper Project.

Strategic Pivot to High-Grade Canadian Copper Assets

The Reedy South sale marks the final step in White Cliff's strategic divestment of Australian assets, enabling full attention on its Canadian copper portfolio. The transaction includes the sale of tenements M20/446, E20/969, P20/2289, E20/938, and E20/974, subject to Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval and Ministerial consent.

The $1.2 million consideration will be paid in three installments:

• $200,000 within five business days of FIRB approval
• $500,000 at the earlier of three months after execution or completion date
• $500,000 by the end of six months from execution

During the transition period, Bain will cover all fees, rents, rates, and expenditure conditions related to the tenements.

Canadian Copper Projects: The New Strategic Focus

With Australian assets now divested, White Cliff can concentrate resources on its promising White Cliff Minerals Canadian copper projects, which have already demonstrated exceptional potential:

Rae Copper-Silver Project

• Contains numerous high-grade copper occurrences
• Hosts all first-order controls for sediment-hosted copper deposits
• Includes a historic resource estimate of 4.16 million tons at 2.96% copper
• Maiden exploration highlighted spectacular copper grades including 64.02% Cu & 62.02% Cu from DON and 55.01% Cu & 46.07% Cu from PAT within the Vision district

Great Bear Lake Area

• Identified as having Canada's highest probability for hosting iron-oxide-copper-gold uranium plus silver-style mineralisation in Canada
• Maiden exploration returned exceptional results including 42.6% Cu, 39.5% Cu, and 38.2g/t Au from the Phoenix prospect
• Produced the highest-grade silver rock chip assays in recent history: 7.54% Ag and 5.35% Ag from Slider

Understanding Historic Resource Estimates

Historic resource estimates are an important aspect of mining project evaluation, particularly when examining properties with exploration history. A historic resource estimate differs from a JORC-compliant resource in several important ways.

Historic estimates typically predate modern reporting codes such as JORC (Joint Ore Reserves Committee) Code 2012 or NI 43-101 in Canada. These older estimates may use estimation methods considered outdated by current standards, might apply different cut-off grades, or may lack the rigorous verification procedures required by modern codes.

White Cliff's Rae Copper Project includes a historic estimate of 4.16 million tons at 2.96% copper at the Danvers Prospect, based on drilling conducted in 1967-1968. This estimate, while not JORC 2012 compliant, provides valuable insights into the project's potential scale and grade. For such historic estimates to be converted to JORC-compliant resources, a competent person would need to conduct additional evaluation and exploration work.

Historic resource estimates serve as a starting point for modern exploration efforts. They identify areas of known mineralisation and provide targets for verification and expansion. White Cliff will likely use this historic information to guide its exploration strategy, while conducting modern work to potentially establish a JORC-compliant resource in the future.

For investors, it is important to recognise that historic estimates should be viewed as indicative rather than definitive. They provide a basis for understanding a project's potential but require verification through contemporary exploration techniques before being considered reliable for investment decisions.

Next Steps and Timeline

With the divestment of Reedy South, White Cliff is poised to accelerate its Canadian exploration programmes:

• Drilling is already underway at the Rae Copper Project
• The company will receive significant cash inflows over the next six months from the Reedy South sale
• All technical and financial resources can now be directed toward the high-grade Canadian copper assets

The structured payment schedule from the Reedy South sale provides White Cliff with staged capital injections that align with its expected exploration expenditure timeline. This ensures the company maintains adequate funding for its ongoing drilling activities without requiring immediate dilutive capital raising.

The transition period arrangements with Bain also ensure that White Cliff is not burdened with ongoing tenement maintenance costs while awaiting regulatory approvals, creating a clean and efficient divestment process.

Investment Potential: Why Copper Matters

White Cliff's strategic shift toward copper exploration comes at a pivotal time for the copper market. Copper is a critical metal for the global energy transition, with electric vehicles requiring up to four times as much copper as conventional vehicles, and renewable energy systems demanding significant copper inputs.

Global copper demand is projected to grow substantially in the coming decades, primarily driven by:

1. Rapid electrification of transport
2. Expansion of renewable energy infrastructure
3. Growth in electricity transmission networks
4. Increased consumption in developing economies

Meanwhile, copper supply faces challenges with declining ore grades at existing mines and limited new discoveries entering production. This supply-demand imbalance has led many analysts to forecast significant copper deficits in the mid to long term.

The exceptional grades reported at White Cliff's Canadian copper projects stand out even in a global context:

• Copper grades above 1% are considered high-grade
• The samples from DON and PAT prospects with values exceeding 60% copper are exceptionally rare
• The historic resource at Danvers with 2.96% copper represents a grade profile that could support robust economics

High-grade copper deposits are particularly valuable in the current market environment, as they typically offer lower production costs, reduced environmental footprints, and greater resilience to price fluctuations compared to lower-grade operations.

Why Investors Should Watch White Cliff Minerals

White Cliff Minerals presents a compelling investment case for resource investors:

1. Focused Strategy: The company has completed its transition to a pure-play Canadian copper explorer, eliminating portfolio distractions.

2. Cash-Backed: The $1.2 million from the Reedy South sale strengthens the balance sheet without dilution.

3. Exceptional Grades: Initial exploration in Canada has yielded copper grades that rank among the highest reported globally.

4. Market Timing: Positioned in the copper sector at a time of growing supply deficits and increasing demand from energy transition technologies.

5. Active Exploration: Drilling is already underway at the Rae Copper Project, suggesting regular news flow and potential value catalysts in the near term.

The company's decision to focus exclusively on its White Cliff Minerals Canadian copper projects represents a clear strategic direction that aligns with macro trends in both metal markets and exploration investment. By concentrating resources on high-potential copper projects rather than maintaining a diversified portfolio across multiple commodities and jurisdictions, White Cliff has positioned itself to maximise returns from exploration success.

For investors seeking exposure to copper exploration, White Cliff offers a focused entry point with the potential benefit of near-term news flow from ongoing drilling activities. The exceptional grades reported from initial sampling suggest the potential for significant discoveries that could transform the company's valuation profile.

With a clear focus on high-grade Canadian copper assets and a strengthened balance sheet, White Cliff Minerals appears well-positioned to create significant shareholder value through its exploration programmes in one of the world's most prospective copper jurisdictions.

Ready to Capitalise on White Cliff's Canadian Copper Potential?

White Cliff Minerals is strategically positioned in the booming copper market with exceptional high-grade Canadian assets showing grades as remarkable as 64% copper. With drilling already underway at the Rae Copper Project and a strengthened balance sheet from the $1.2 million Reedy South divestment, the company offers investors a focused opportunity in the critical metals space. To learn more about White Cliff's transformative copper strategy and investment potential, visit the company's website for the latest investor information and project updates.