BHP backs the next wave of exploration and technology talent in its biggest Xplor intake yet

BHP has selected 10 early-stage exploration and technology companies for the 2026 BHP Xplor program, marking the largest cohort since the program began and its fourth year of operation.

The 2026 cohort brings together junior exploration companies, geoscience organisations, and technology teams that collectively span the discovery system. It reflects a more connected approach to early-stage exploration, where geological insight, data, and emerging technologies increasingly intersect, and where collaboration across disciplines is becoming central to how discovery evolves.

As exploration moves into more remote and geologically complex environments, this intersection of expertise is opening up new possibilities for how mineral systems are understood, tested, and advanced at the earliest stages.

Tim O’Connor, BHP Group Exploration Officer, said:

“Exploration is evolving quickly. New tools, better data, and different ways of working are changing how early-stage ideas are tested and refined. This cohort reflects that shift, bringing together explorers and technology developers who are approaching discovery in thoughtful and practical ways. Xplor gives us a valuable opportunity to learn alongside them and explore what discovery could look like in the future.”

Xplor 2026’s ten successful applicants

Exploration companies

FrontierX (Canada) – Frontier X is an early-stage uranium exploration company in Canada, formed by two BHP Xplor Year One alumni, Fabian Baker and Andrew Tunningley. Through Xplor, the company is undertaking a preliminary uranium project, focused on testing early geological concepts and building an initial understanding of exploration potential.

Litchfield Minerals (Australia) – Litchfield Minerals is an Australian exploration company advancing copper, zinc, lead, silver and gold opportunities in the Northern Territory. Through Xplor, the company is focusing on its Oonagalabi project in the Arunta region, applying modern geophysics and targeted fieldwork to build a clearer picture of a large, underexplored mineral system.

Orion Minerals (South Africa) – Orion Minerals is a listed exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and zinc assets in South Africa’s Northern Cape. Through Xplor, Orion is applying modern data analytics and mineral systems thinking across its large tenement package to identify new discovery opportunities beyond known deposits.

Otrera Resources (South America) – Otrera Resources is an early-stage exploration company focused on sediment-hosted copper systems. Its Xplor project is centred on advancing new copper targets drawing on the team’s deep regional experience and modern geochemical and geological approaches.

PT GeoFix (Indonesia) – PT GeoFix Indonesia is a multidisciplinary geoscience consultancy supporting mineral exploration across Southeast Asia. Through Xplor, GeoFix is applying its proprietary prospectivity tools and regional expertise to test new porphyry copper-gold exploration concepts in underexplored parts of the Sunda-Banda Arc.

Utah Geological Survey (USA) – Utah Geological Survey is the State of Utah’s primary geoscience organisation, providing authoritative geological data and scientific insight to support resource management and exploration. Through Xplor, UGS is leading a regional mineral systems analysis across the eastern Great Basin, integrating new datasets and targeted fieldwork to improve understanding of mineral potential and make high-quality geoscience data publicly available.

Technology Companies

RadiXplore (Australia) – RadiXplore is a technology company using artificial intelligence to analyse historical exploration records alongside modern geological and corporate data. Through Xplor, RadiXplore is applying its AI platform to copper exploration, testing how legacy data can be re- interpreted to surface overlooked opportunities and support earlier, more informed discovery decisions.

Mineural (Canada) – Mineural is a Canadian deep-tech company using artificial intelligence to help exploration teams identify and prioritise mineral targets more efficiently. Through Xplor, Mineural is applying its AI platform, IRIS, to copper exploration, combining machine learning with BHP’s geological expertise to test how AI can support earlier, more responsible discovery decisions.

VectOres Science (USA) – VectOres Science is a US-based mining technology company developing non-invasive hydrogeochemical and isotopic tools to support mineral exploration. Through Xplor, the company is applying its water and isotope chemistry platform to test how real-time primary data can help identify and prioritise mineral systems earlier, without reliance on initial drilling.

Discovery Genomics (Canada) – Discovery Genomics is a Vancouver-based technology company developing DNA sequencing as a new tool for mineral exploration. Through Xplor, the company is advancing its genomics platform for copper exploration, testing how microbial DNA signatures can help identify buried mineral systems in covered and complex terrains.

Marley Palin, Head of BHP Xplor, said:

“The 2026 cohort reflects how broad and dynamic early-stage discovery has become. We’re seeing exciting ideas emerge across exploration, data, and technology, often at the same time and in the same places. Bringing these teams together through Xplor creates a unique environment for collaboration, learning, and experimentation, and we’re looking forward to what this group will explore over the coming months.”

The cohort was selected based on the strength of their ideas, technical capability, and potential to contribute to the long-term supply of future-facing commodities. Each company will receive an equity- free grant of USD $500,000, along with structured learning, mentoring, and access to BHP specialists across exploration, technology, and commercial functions.

Since launching in 2023, BHP Xplor has supported 21 companies across its first three cohorts, building a growing global network of explorers and innovators focused on early-stage discovery.

Article source: https://miningindaba.com/articles/bhp-supports-the-next-generation-in-its-large