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Horizon Minerals has revealed details about its pathway to gold production and a longer-term project pipeline relating to four of the company's extensive suite of projects, mostly within about 35kms of Kalgoorlie. The details provide a snapshot on the company's ramp-up work, including bringing on the underground operations at Cannon and Penny's Find and its open-pit developments at Kalpini and Boorara.

Horizon Minerals has set off on a lithium hunt through its gold-bearing Western Australian tenements after generating new exploration targets in the Goldfields and near the world-renowned Greenbushes project in the State's South West region. The company says it has been encouraged by its results to date, but more work is now planned as it looks to broaden its operations.

Horizon Minerals will retain financial exposure to 62 tenements within its Kalgoorlie project area despite entering into a binding asset sale agreement for the ground with Northern Star Resources. According to the deal, Northern Star will pay Horizon $3.1 million in cash, in addition to receiving discovery payments of $20 per ounce for any JORC-compliant mineral resource at the sites – capped at 2 million ounces.

Horizon Minerals has managed to get its foot on two lithium prospect areas with exquisite proximity to Greenbushes – the biggest hard-rock lithium mine in the world. The company says it paid just $225,000 in cash and shares to a private operator to get within about 10km of and along strike from Greenbushes, which has long been revered as the best lithium mine in the world.

ASX-listed Horizon Minerals has its eyes on a maiden resource for its Pinner prospect near Kalgoorlie after revealing positive results from an infill drilling program at its Greater Boorara-Cannon gold project. The company completed 26 holes of both air-core (AC) and reverse-circulation (RC) drilling through 1259m across its Pinder and Monument prospects to support its assessment of small-scale open-cut mining.

Horizon Minerals has moved to monetise its non-core assets after entering into a binding option and sale deed with Dundas Minerals for the former's Baden Powell/Scotia and Windanya gold projects near Kalgoorlie. The option covers all mineral rights in 16 prospecting licenses, two mining leases and one mining lease application, across 3230 hectares about 45km north of Kalgoorlie.

Horizon Minerals has revealed fresh mineral resource estimates for its Golden Ridge North and Monument gold prospects in Western Australia's Goldfields region, to take its total resource to 23.22 million tonnes at 1.69 grams per tonne gold for 1.26 million ounces. Management says further drilling is now underway at its Monument prospect, while both deposits will soon be the subject of scoping studies.

Horizon Minerals has launched a new drill campaign in a bid to expand the footprint of its Cannon gold project near Kalgoorlie from a single planned underground operation to a mining hub with potential open-pit mines. The Cannon deposit hosts a mineable ore reserve of 135,000 tonnes at 4.1g/t gold for 17,680 ounces and forms part of the company's 1.15-million-ounce Kalgoorlie-Boulder gold resource.

Horizon Minerals has secured a second tranche of funding of US$3 million (AU$4.36 million) to continue the development of its Cannon underground gold project in Western Australia's Goldfields region. Management says it has also received the government approvals needed to kick off underground development, including an approved mining proposal and mine closure plan from the Department of Mining, Industry Regulation and Safety.

Horizon Minerals is charging towards a resource estimate upgrade after completing an eight-hole drill program at its Penny's Find gold mine, 50km north-east of Kalgoorlie. Results show its high-grade lode is open at depth, with intercepts including 3.2m at 4.19g/t gold from 318.3m, 1m grading 7.49g/t from 363.9m and 0.78m going 12.85g/t gold from 331.48m. Underground mining is planned.

Horizon Minerals is targeting extensions to its known resource of 270,000 tonnes at 4.99g/t gold in a new drilling campaign at its high-grade Penny's Find gold deposit, 50km north-east of Kalgoorlie. The company will drill 2400m of RC with diamond core tails. Penny's Find gold production will follow Horizon's Cannon gold mine, which will start production in the second half of this year.