Source : THE AGE NEWS
In a significant move to accelerate its US tungsten ambitions, Viking Mines has announced the formal engagement of tier-1 mineral processing specialist Mineral Technologies to spearhead a concept study for its flagship Linka tungsten project in Nevada.
The partnership with the Downer Group subsidiary will focus on designing a low-cost, modular processing plant that could eventually enable a “fast-track” pathway to production and early cash flow.
The engagement comes hot on the heels of outstanding metallurgical testwork results earlier this month, which demonstrated that Linka’s high-grade ore is amenable to simple and cost-effective processing.
Initial sighter tests using basic gravity separation techniques achieved a remarkable 16-times grade increase, lifting 1.4 per cent tungsten trioxide test feed to a 22.9 per cent concentrate with an initial recovery of 63.7 per cent.
‘The engagement of MT is key to our strategy of rapidly advancing the Linka tungstenproject.’
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock
With Mineral Technologies boasting more than 80 years of experience and a world-leading reputation in gravity separation, the partnership appears to be a hand-in-glove fit for Viking’s rapid development strategy.
A core component of the engagement will be the evaluation of Mineral Technologies’ proprietary “FlexSeries” modular processing units. These “plug-and-play” systems are pre-assembled offsite, a feature that significantly reduces on-site construction timelines and de-risks projects from potential labour shortages or weather delays. The company says the compact and relocatable design also allows for easy expansion or redeployment as a project grows.
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock said: “With testwork demonstrating mineralisation is amenable to simple gravity separation, MT are a logical partner as we progress engineering studies. With APT tungsten prices reaching US$2,200/mtu, the inherent value in our Nevada portfolio continues to grow.”
The move to lock in a processing pathway comes as Viking consolidates a commanding position in the US tungsten space. The company recently completed the digitisation of a massive historical dataset for the Linka project, confirming the presence of exceptionally high-grade and thick intercepts.
The historical data, which includes 70 drillholes, has revealed significant tungsten hits at its Conquest prospect, including 12.2m at 1.3 per cent tungsten from just 26.5m, including a sizzling 1.5m section grading 4.8 per cent tungsten. Other highlights from Conquest include 22.9m at 0.6 per cent tungsten from 19.8m.
At the Linka Main and Hillside areas, historical drilling returned impressive results, including 7.9m at 0.9 per cent tungsten from only 7.6m and a deeper hit of 9.8m at 0.5 per cent tungsten from 61.9m.
Notably, the historical drilling was shallow, averaging just 30m depth at Conquest, leaving significant potential for extensions at depth and along strike.
Viking’s work has already doubled the known mineralised corridor to 1.6km after integrating historical surface sampling that returned 0.6 per cent tungsten from a sample 800m southwest of the main Linka pit. The company believes this 1.6km trend may represent only 29 per cent of a much larger 5.5km conceptual target surrounding a regional intrusion.
The strategic importance of Viking’s work is underscored by tightening US defence procurement restrictions on Chinese-linked tungsten supply, with Viking pointing to a key December 2026 deadline before broader restrictions take effect from January 2027. Since the US currently has no commercial domestic tungsten mine production and remains heavily reliant on imports, the pressure is on to establish secure local sources.
This geopolitical driver, combined with soaring tungsten prices that have climbed to over US$2,200 per metric tonne unit, has created a perfect storm for Viking.
The company is now advancing on multiple fronts. With the processing study underway with Mineral Technologies, Viking is also finalising 3D geological models from its newly digitised data to refine targets for a maiden drilling campaign planned for the June quarter.
In parallel, Viking is assessing historical surface stockpiles that have returned grades up to 0.8 per cent tungsten as a potential source of near-term production, further reinforcing its accelerated strategy.
By systematically de-risking both the resource potential and the processing flowsheet, Viking Mines is positioning itself to be a key player in America’s urgent push for tungsten independence.
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