A GIANT HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

SEARCHING FOR COPPER, EMPIRE METALS INSTEAD FOUND TWO BILLION TONNES OF TITANIUM ORE. ITS PITFIELD PROJECT IS NOW CREATING A NEW SUPPLY CHAIN FOR THE CRITICAL METAL.

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When Empire Metals set out to explore old copper workings in Western Australia's wheatbelt region in 2023, managing director Shaun Bunn wasn't expecting to stumble onto a world-changing deposit. But that's exactly what happened 160km south of Geraldton, where drilling revealed a geological anomaly of extraordinary proportions: what is likely the world's largest known deposit of titanium.

The company announced a maiden mineral resource estimate for the Pitfield project in October. With some 2.2 billion tonnes at 5.1 per cent titanium dioxide, spread across a 40km strike at depths of up to 5km, it's a discovery Bunn describes as "a giant hidden in plain sight".

The explorer, listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market and cross-traded on the US OTCQX, has moved at remarkable speed. In the two and a half years since that discovery, it has been able to produce high-purity titanium dioxide, and Bunn is confident the momentum will be maintained.

"We've assembled a world-class technical team and we're not slowing down," he said. "Having five or six internationally recognised metallurgical laboratories right here in Perth, plus established infrastructure on our doorstep, means we can move faster than most projects of this scale."

The Pitfield project now stands as one of the world's largest titanium resources, but making the discovery even more compelling is its favourable location. The massive site shares proximity to established infrastructure, including rail, gas, power and port facilities, that could position the project as a critical supplier in an increasingly strategic global titanium market.

Unexpected find