Brightstar Resources Ltd (ASX:BTR) has stepped up preparations to bring its Goldfields Hub into production, confirming the completion of major site works at its Laverton Processing Plant and outlining steady progress across engineering, approvals and financing workstreams.
In a Tuesday update, the company said demolition and removal of legacy infrastructure at the Laverton mill site had been completed, clearing the footprint for construction of a new 1.5-million-tonne-per-annum processing plant ahead of a targeted final investment decision (FID) late in the March quarter of 2026.
Brightstar legacy processing plant site (Dec '25)
Earthworks and broader site preparation are now under way, positioning the project to move quickly into construction once financing and approvals are finalised.
Brightstar mill site with site preparations continuing (Jan '26)
Engineering and construction planning advances
Brightstar said a competitive Front End Engineering Design (FEED) process for the new Laverton plant was completed in December, with Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) tender packages now received from two engineering firms.
Evaluation of the bids is ongoing, with selection of a preferred EPC contractor expected later this month. The company said the chosen EPC contract is intended to be a lump-sum, fixed-price arrangement, providing greater cost certainty as it moves towards FID.
Early works planning is designed to enable long-lead equipment procurement, earthworks tenders and other preparatory activities to commence as early as February, aligning with the completion of debt financing arrangements.
Importantly, Brightstar noted that the resale of pre-existing processing infrastructure from the legacy Beta plant has covered the full cost of demolition and initial site establishment works — a factor it said delivers both capital and schedule advantages compared with a greenfields development.
Proposed Process Flow Diagram
DFS update and production profile
The company is also finalising an updated Definitive Feasibility Study, known as DFS2.0, which is due for release in February 2026.
DFS2.0 is described as an upgrade to the June 2025 feasibility study, which outlined gold production of around 70,000 ounces per annum for five years from the Goldfields Hub, excluding output from the currently operating Second Fortune and Fish underground mines.
Those two mines are producing at a combined run rate of about 30,000–35,000 ounces per year and are funding much of the enabling infrastructure across the Laverton project area.
Brightstar said cash flow from the Goldfields Hub is expected to complement future development of its Sandstone Gold Project, supporting a longer-term ambition to lift group production beyond 200,000 ounces per annum.
Approvals and mine readiness
Mining approvals are now in place for open-pit operations at Lord Byron and Lady Shenton, which are expected to be the initial ore sources for the Laverton mill, alongside the existing Second Fortune and Fish operations.
The Lord Byron and Lady Shenton deposits host a combined mineral resource of 13.5 million tonnes at 1.4 grams per tonne gold, containing around 600,000 ounces.
At the same time, Brightstar said expansion of the Fish/Lord Byron accommodation camp to 160 rooms is nearing completion, providing capacity for both construction crews during the plant build and the future open-pit and underground mining workforce.
160-man camp installation being finalised (Fish underground mine in the background)
The company highlighted that haul road upgrades, site services, communications and camp infrastructure have already been funded through current underground operations, significantly de-risking capital expenditure for the processing plant and mine development.
Financing discussions well advanced
Brightstar said debt financing discussions are now well progressed, with non-binding term sheets in place with three parties for up to A$150 million.
Updated technical and legal due diligence is nearing completion and will incorporate the outcomes of DFS2.0.
Managing director Alex Rovira said the company was focused on running multiple workstreams in parallel to fast-track development while maintaining discipline around cost and schedule.
“Early execution planning, competitive tendering and site readiness activities position the project to move efficiently into construction following final investment decision, with a strong emphasis on cost definition and schedule control,” Rovira said.
With mining approvals in place at Lord Byron and Lady Shenton and key infrastructure works largely complete, Brightstar said the Goldfields Hub is positioned to move from development into production, supported by its wholly owned 4.0-million-ounce mineral resource base across the Goldfields and Murchison regions.
