Recharge Metals Uncovers Hidden Tungsten After Retest Lifts Grades Up to 49%
Key Takeaways
- Pulp re-assays using lithium borate fusion — the correct method for tungsten — returned grades 5% to 49% higher than originally reported, confirming the prior 4-acid ICP-MS technique was systematically under-reporting tungsten at Brandy Hill South.
- The headline re-assay result is 1m at 1.19% WO₃ from hole BHRCD030, with a 41.5m interval at 0.73% Cu and 0.08% WO₃ from BHRCD027 — and these come from only a small selection of two holes.
- More than 1,000 sample pulps have been identified for priority tungsten re-assaying, meaning the full grade picture across a system already defined over 500m of strike and 400m of vertical depth is expected to shift materially.
- Recharge's technical team has reinterpreted Brandy Hill South from a VMS target to a potential large-scale Cu-W-Mo intrusion-related mineral system, supported by scheelite fluorescence across a 250-300m combined rock package and a coincident pathfinder element signature.
- Only 500m of a 2.5km geophysical target has been drilled, with a drone aeromagnetic survey commencing September 2026 and the company holding $5.6M cash to advance both Brandy Hill South and its 30,000m inaugural drill program at the Prospero Gold Deposit.
Tungsten discovery reshapes the investment case at Brandy Hill South
Recharge Metals (ASX: REC) has announced a fundamental reinterpretation of the mineralisation model at its Brandy Hill South Project in Western Australia, after pulp re-assaying confirmed that the original analytical method was systematically under-reporting tungsten grades. The company’s new technical team identified the potential for a large, possibly bulk-tonnage copper-tungsten-molybdenum (Cu-W-Mo) intrusion-related mineral system at the project, located 180km east of Geraldton within the Archaean Gullewa Greenstone Belt and 23km south of the Deflector Copper-Gold Mine.
The original analytical technique, 4-acid ICP-MS, proved unsuitable for tungsten. When a selection of pulps from two diamond holes were re-assayed using lithium borate fusion (the industry-standard method for tungsten), grades came back 5% to 49% higher than previously reported. A high-resolution drone aeromagnetic survey is planned to commence at the project in September 2026, with the company holding $5.6M cash as of 31 June 2026.
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Re-assay results confirm significant Cu-W-Mo intervals
What the pulp re-assays returned
Re-assaying of a small selection of pulps from two diamond holes, BHRCD027 and BHRCD030, returned the following significant intervals:
BHRCD027:
- 41.5m @ 0.73% Cu, 0.08% WO₃, 25ppm Mo from 375.5m
- Including 7.5m @ 1.65% Cu, 0.13% WO₃, 15ppm Mo from 375.5m
- And 6m @ 0.76% Cu, 0.13% WO₃ from 408m
BHRCD030:
- 11m @ 0.33% Cu, 0.15% WO₃, 35ppm Mo from 124m
- Including 1m @ 1.19% WO₃, 0.10% Cu, 54ppm Mo from 134m
The 1m @ 1.19% WO₃ intersection is the headline grade from this initial re-assay program. Critically, these results come from only a small selection of pulps across two holes. More than 1,000 sample pulps have been identified for priority tungsten re-assaying, meaning the full grade picture at Brandy Hill South is likely to shift materially as that broader program is completed.
The broader Cu-Mo picture — already defined at scale
Before this tungsten reinterpretation, broad Cu-Mo mineralisation had already been defined over 500m of strike and 400m of vertical depth, open in all directions. The best intercepts from previous drilling illustrate the scale of the system:
| Hole ID | Interval (m) | Cu% | Mo (ppm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BHRC004 | 73m from 63m (incl. 28m @ 1.03% Cu) | 0.56% | 28 |
| BHRCD027 | 75m from 375.5m | 0.48% | 24 |
| BHD026 | 161.7m from 165.3m | 0.27% | 51 |
| BHRC015 | 88m from 54m (incl. 50m @ 0.45% Cu) | 0.33% | 36 |
These intercepts do not yet include tungsten re-assays. Once the full 1,000+ pulp re-assay program is complete, the overall grade profile of the system is expected to increase materially.
Understanding Cu-W-Mo intrusion-related mineral systems
Recharge was previously exploring Brandy Hill South targeting a Volcanic Massive Sulphide (VMS) mineral system. VMS systems tend to be narrower and higher-grade by nature, with mineralisation concentrated into relatively discrete zones. An intrusion-related system is a fundamentally different animal: broader, potentially bulk-tonnage, and distributed across a much wider package of host rocks.
The shift in interpretation matters for investors because scale and geometry drive project economics. A VMS-style target at Brandy Hill South was always a smaller proposition. An intrusion-related Cu-W-Mo system, if confirmed, represents a different scale of opportunity entirely.
The evidence driving the reinterpretation is multi-layered. Scheelite (the tungsten-bearing mineral, which fluoresces white-blue under ultraviolet light) occurs throughout a wide dolerite-gabbro unit, an adjacent metasediment package, and the feldspar-quartz porphyry intrusions that pervade both. Collectively, these units have a combined thickness of 250-300m. The associated alteration assemblage (biotite-K-feldspar-amphibole-magnetite-quartz) and the coincident pathfinder element association of tellurium, bismuth, and arsenic with the Cu-W-Mo mineralisation together provide what Recharge describes as strong evidence for a potential intrusion-related, magmatic mineral system.
Tungsten is classified as a critical mineral, with applications spanning defence, electronics, and industrial tooling. Its global supply base is tight, and demand is growing. Pair that with copper and molybdenum — both in their own structural supply stories — and Brandy Hill South carries a genuinely multi-commodity angle for investors to consider.
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2.5km target open in all directions — what comes next
CEO quote
Luke Timmermans, Chief Executive Officer
“Our technical review has demonstrated that the mineralisation at Brandy Hill South has the potential to be extensive and contain more tungsten than the original assay results suggested. Visual inspection of the drill core under UV light revealed broad intervals of disseminated scheelite throughout, so we re-assayed a small selection of pulps from two diamond holes completed by the Company in 2022 with the appropriate method and confirmed that the original method under-reported the tungsten.
This is highly significant, given that broad Cu-Mo mineralisation remains open and is already defined over 500m of strike and to 400m vertical depth and there is an aircore intercept in BHA253 that contains 21m at 0.75% Cu to end of hole from 60m. BHA253 is located 1km to the north and we believe it could be part of the same large Cu-W-Mo intrusion-related mineral system. We remain well funded with $5.6M cash as of 31 June 2026 and look forward to commencing drone magnetics this month as we advance Brandy Hill South alongside our inaugural 30,000m drill program at the 94,500oz Prospero Gold Deposit, Sunset Well Gold Project in Leonora.”
Near-term catalysts across both projects
Drilling has only tested 500m of a 2.5km geophysical target. The defined mineralised zone is open in all directions. Aircore holes BHA253 (21m @ 0.75% Cu to end-of-hole) and BHA254 (15m @ 0.54% Cu to end-of-hole), located approximately 1km to the north, have not been followed up and were not assayed for tungsten or molybdenum. They represent upside optionality that remains untested.
Brandy Hill South — next steps:
- Complete the high-resolution drone aeromagnetic survey (commencing September 2026)
- Complete the re-assaying of 1,000+ pulp samples for tungsten
- Investigate a ground gravity survey
- Investigate a preliminary metallurgical test work program
- Plan drilling activities across the 2.5km geophysical target
Sunset Well Gold Project — next steps:
- Tender drill contractor agreement
- Commence the inaugural 30,000m drill program in early Q4 at the 94,500oz Prospero Gold Deposit
The 30,000m drill program at Prospero is the company’s largest single drilling commitment to date, targeting a 94,500oz gold deposit at Sunset Well as Recharge advances both projects simultaneously through Q4 2026.
The combination of a major re-assay program still to complete, a largely untested 2.5km geophysical corridor, and unfollowed-up copper intercepts 1km to the north means the near-term news flow from Brandy Hill South is expected to be substantive. The mineralisation model has changed. The question now is how much bigger the system proves to be.
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