Estrella gets green light to ship first Timor-Leste manganese ore

Estrella Resources has taken a significant step towards commercialising its Ira Miri manganese project after inking an agreement with Timor-Leste’s Autoridade Nacional dos Minerais (ANM) to extract and export up to 30,000 tonnes of high-grade manganese oxide for market appraisal.

The company says the approval has provided it with a clear regulatory framework to extract a bulk sample, prepare material for sale and pay government charges in line with standard mining royalties.

The bulk sampling program will be undertaken and supervised by the company’s in-country team, which has recently been bolstered with a series of strategic on-the-ground technical appointments. 

Estrella says the recent assays from Ira Miri have continued to reinforce the project’s exceptional grade profile. Standout hits included 5.2 metres grading 39.6 per cent manganese, highlighted by a bonanza 2.5m section running at 54 per cent manganese. Another hole returned 6.2m at 45.3 per cent manganese.

The chemistry of Ira Miri’s manganese reads like a greatest-hits list, closely matching the high-silica, low-iron signature seen in low-iron stratiform systems such as Mexico’s Molango and Australia’s Groote Eylandt — two of the world’s largest and highest-quality manganese systems.

The company says it plans to extract manganese oxide from a shallow, well-defined pit within a high-grade mineralised horizon. Topsoil will be stored separately for rehabilitation, while overburden will be placed in benched external stockpiles to minimise environmental impact.

Additional extraction equipment, including excavators and haulage vehicles, is already on site, with operations expected to kick off shortly. Notably, Estrella says all activities will be carried out using local contractors, consistent with its focus on generating employment and economic benefits for local communities.

Once extracted, the material will be transported to port and stockpiled, ready for market appraisal, with management already engaging prospective buyers. Ore will then be loaded onto a barge and shipped offshore before being transferred to a bulk carrier to avoid lengthy road transport.

Outgoing managing director Chris Daws said: “The ability to extract, sell and export up to 30,000 tonnes of ore provides the company with a strong opportunity to demonstrate the high-grade and low impurity characteristics of the Ira Miri ore to internationally significant partners.”

The sampling program will also give Estrella the chance to put the ore through its paces, carrying out detailed metallurgical and commercial test work that could prove pivotal in shaping a clear, longer-term development pathway.

Meanwhile, Estrella has been quietly building scale at its other Timor-Leste cornerstone, the Werumata limestone project, where drilling continues to firm up what could be a genuinely long-life industrial asset. 

A 3717-metre RC and diamond program across 42 holes has targeted a large, potentially high-purity limestone system, with some estimates pointing to an exploration target of around 500 million tonnes — enough limestone to underpin domestic supply for decades.

Manganese remains a highly sought-after commodity, with around 80 to 90 per cent of global supply consumed by the steel industry. It is principally used to improve strength and toughness, while removing sulphur. Demand is also accelerating in electric vehicle batteries, grid-scale energy storage, fertilisers, glassmaking, chemical processing and water purification.

With regulatory approval secured and high-grade material ready for extraction, Estrella is now well placed to move Ira Miri from exploration into the commercial spotlight. 

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au