# Western Australia backs 40 exploration projects with more than A$6.16 million

> The state’s 34th co-funded drilling round targets copper, gold and critical minerals.

- Canonical URL: https://newsverum.com/en/news/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding
- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Energy
- Country: Australia
- Published: 2026-10-13T01:40:12+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-13T01:40:12+00:00
- Event / data period: 2026-10-12
- Other editions: [Türkçe](https://newsverum.com/tr/news/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding.md), [العربية](https://newsverum.com/ar/news/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding.md), [Français](https://newsverum.com/fr/news/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding.md), [Español](https://newsverum.com/es/news/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding.md), [Deutsch](https://newsverum.com/de/news/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding.md), [Português](https://newsverum.com/pt/news/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding.md)

Western Australia’s government said on October 12 that 40 projects from 36 applicants will share more than A$6.16 million in Round 34 of its Exploration Incentive Scheme. The co-funding is intended to advance drilling in some of the state’s prospective but underexplored regions.

About half of the programs target copper, while more than a quarter of applicants are pursuing gold. Twelve projects will also explore for critical minerals including rare earths, cobalt, niobium, lithium and tungsten. The announcement concerns exploration support; it does not report a discovery or production result.

## Data

### Exploration Incentive Scheme Round 34 project counts

Project and applicant counts reported for Round 34.

Methodology: The source reports 40 projects from 36 applicants and says 12 projects target critical minerals; those 12 are included in the total of 40.

| Measure | Value | Period and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Funded exploration projects | 40 | Round 34; Western Australia |
| Applicants | 36 | Round 34; Western Australia |
| Projects searching for critical minerals | 12 | Round 34; Western Australia |

Sources: <https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/exploration-incentive-scheme-keeps-discoveries-and-jobs-coming> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding/data/round-34-project-counts?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding/data/round-34-project-counts?lang=en&format=csv)

### Round 34 co-funding amount

The amount announced by the government is stated as a lower bound.

Methodology: The source qualifies the total as more than A$6.16 million; the table does not treat 6.16 as an exact total.

| Amount | Qualifier |
|---|---|
| 6.16 | More than |

Sources: <https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/exploration-incentive-scheme-keeps-discoveries-and-jobs-coming> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding/data/round-34-funding?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/western-australia-awards-round-34-exploration-drilling-funding/data/round-34-funding?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [Western Australia Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration](<https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/exploration-incentive-scheme-keeps-discoveries-and-jobs-coming>) (Source checked: 2026-10-13; Published: 2026-10-12)

---

Cite the canonical URL above. [Editorial standards and corrections](https://newsverum.com/en/editorial)