GreenTech Metals Appoints Simon Kidston as Chairman Amid Strategic Gold-Copper Pivot

GreenTech Metals (ASX: GRE) has appointed Simon Kidston as Non-Executive Chairman, marking a significant boardroom reshuffle as the company enters a new phase of development across its Pilbara asset portfolio.

Simon Kidston
Mr Kidston, a veteran of the energy and resources sectors, is best known as co-founder and Executive Director of Genex Power (ASX: GNX), where he was instrumental in the development of the $1.2 billion Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project. Genex was acquired by Japan’s J-Power in mid-2024, underscoring Mr Kidston’s credentials in large-scale infrastructure delivery, capital markets and strategic partnerships.

His appointment, effective immediately, comes as GreenTech embarks on a potential transformation of its Whundo Copper-Zinc Project near Karratha, following the recent identification of significant gold mineralisation.

“I’m delighted to join GreenTech at this exciting stage in its evolution,” Mr Kidston said. “The Company has established a strong land position in the Pilbara — one of Australia’s premier mining regions — and represents a blank canvas to build upon with the addition of new, high-quality projects.”

Mr Kidston replaces outgoing director Guy Robertson, who has resigned to pursue other professional interests.

The board change comes against a backdrop of strong exploration progress. In its September quarter update, GreenTech reported the discovery of a meaningful gold endowment at Whundo, where the existing JORC 2012 resource totals 6.2 million tonnes at 1.12% copper and 1.04% zinc. Historic assay data — previously focused on base metals — was reviewed and resampled, revealing high-grade gold intersections including 1 metre at 64.7g/t gold from 47 metres and 10 metres at 1.8g/t gold from 35 metres.

The company has submitted 1,416 legacy samples from 33 unassayed drill holes for gold analysis, with results pending. A conceptual exploration target has also been defined, ranging between 15–23 million tonnes at 0.9–1.4% copper and 0.2–0.4% zinc, highlighting the scale potential of the Whundo mineral system.

Meanwhile, GreenTech is advancing metallurgical test work on a 100,000-tonne low-grade copper stockpile at Whundo East, evaluating the viability of heap leach extraction.

Beyond Whundo, the company has expanded its gold exploration footprint at the Ruth Well Project, located 25 kilometres to the north. A systematic review of soil and rock chip data has confirmed the presence of a continuous gold-arsenic-silver trend, aligning with the fertile Ruth Well–Carlow Castle structural corridor. Rock chip samples have returned grades up to 5.04g/t gold.

This 28-kilometre structural zone is considered prospective for orogenic-style gold mineralisation and is home to several known deposits, including the 374koz Carlow Castle project owned by Artemis Resources.

GreenTech Executive Director Thomas Reddicliffe said the consistency of gold anomalies across the Ruth Well trend underscores its exploration potential.

“These findings are of particular interest following the recent discovery of gold potential at our Whundo Project, underscoring a broader, strategic alignment in our gold exploration efforts,” Mr Reddicliffe said.

The company is now evaluating near-term production scenarios and the possibility of upgrading the current Whundo resource to incorporate gold.

While GreenTech retains a strategic focus on copper and battery metals, the emergence of gold across multiple targets presents new opportunities to enhance project economics and broaden investor appeal.

The company has not announced any immediate changes to its development timetable but noted that further assays, metallurgical studies and economic assessments are in progress.

GreenTech’s board believes Mr Kidston’s track record in project execution and value creation will be instrumental as the company moves towards potential development and funding decisions.

The market will now be watching for assay results and further technical updates, particularly as GreenTech navigates a competitive landscape for battery and precious metals exploration in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.