Miningweb: The Big Australian gives Orion a thumbs up, validates Lennox’s vision

Key topics:BHP selects Orion for 2026 Xplor, backing Northern Cape copper potentialEquity-free US$500k grant signals strong validation from world’s top minerOrion shares surge in 2026 as exploration upside and leadership gain trust.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Alec Hogg.It’s often said in mining that geology is the truth, but it takes deep pockets to prove it. For Orion Minerals, the junior miner that has been meticulously stitching together the copper districts of the Northern Cape (and already attracted Glencore’s support), today delivered a different kind of currency: validation from the world's biggest mining group. In an operational update released on SENS this morning, Orion announced it has been selected for the 2026 BHP Xplor Accelerator Program. While the accompanying cheque — a US$500,000 (R9m) equity-free grant — is barely a rounding error for "The Big Australian" (market cap: R2.6 trillion), the signal it sends to the market is huge.This news comes amidst a blistering run for Orion’s share price. The stock, which has tested the patience of its followers, has finally found its legs in 2026. Now trading around 45 cents, the counter has more than doubled since the start of the year, handsomely rewarding those following the BizNews Ricardo portfolio (where it’s the star performer) and other retail investors who held on through the "pennies" phase.Connecting the dotsTo understand the significance of today’s announcement, you have to look past the dollar figure. The BHP Xplor program isn't a charitable donation; it is a strategic search engine for the mining giant. BHP uses this accelerator to identify and groom the best geological concepts globally, effectively outsourcing early-stage risk while keeping a foot in the door of potential tier-one discoveries..Read more:.Miningweb: Orion Minerals secures path to copper production with landmark Glencore deal and feasibility milestones.For Orion, this selection is a massive thumbs-up for its broader exploration portfolio. Crucially, this partnership excludes the flagship Prieska Copper Zinc Mine and the Okiep Flat Mines project—assets that are already too advanced for this incubator. Instead, BHP’s geologists and capital will be deployed into Orion's earlier-stage "blue sky" projects in the Northern Cape.In simple terms, BHP thinks there is likely more copper hiding in Orion's exploration area, and is willing to pay to help find it.The Lennox EraThe update also highlights the seamless transition in leadership at Orion. Tony Lennox, who took the reins as Managing Director and CEO from the tireless Errol Smart last year, is now the man steering the ship.Lennox, a veteran of Palabora Mining Company, knows a thing or two about block caving and producing copper at scale. His quote in this morning’s SENS report emphasises that the program offers "access to technical expertise, experienced mentors and industry perspectives." For a junior miner, having BHP’s technical team stress-test your geological models is invaluable. It reduces the odds of drilling "dusters" and accelerates the path to discovery.Context: A district playThis development reinforces the "district play" thesis that Orion has championed for a decade. The Northern Cape is not just about reopening old mines (Prieska and Okiep); it is about proving that these historical operations were just the tip of the iceberg in a VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide) camp that rivals the best in the world.While fellow juniors like Copper 360 are focusing on their own patches of the Northern Cape, Orion’s engagement with a global major now sets it apart. It suggests that the region is regaining its status on the global investment radar—a critical shift for South Africa’s mining industry, which has been starved of exploration spending.The Bottom LineMr Market is clearly waking up to the story. The share price surge in early 2026 suggests the smart money has been positioning for a breakout. Today’s news may not change Prieska's cash flow models overnight, but it significantly derisks the exploration upside.When the world’s biggest miner asks to look at your geology, you open the books. Orion has done just that. Shareholders, many of whom are members of the BizNews tribe, should be smiling.

Miningweb: The Big Australian gives Orion a thumbs up, validates Lennox’s vision

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