BHP Group Limited (ASX: BHP) has opened the doors on its fourth and largest Xplor exploration accelerator cohort to date. The 2026 program brings together ten companies selected from hundreds of global applications, reflecting growing demand for junior mining exploration funding at scale.
Figure 1: BHP Xplor logo representing BHP’s global accelerator program for early-stage mineral exploration companies. [Courtesy: Mining Technology]
The BHP Xplor exploration accelerator is designed to build sustainable junior businesses and accelerate the search for the next generation of major mineral deposits. This year’s cohort gathered in Adelaide during the first week of May 2026 for an intensive workshop camp and a site visit to BHP’s Olympic Dam copper mine.
A Record Cohort With a Broader Mandate Than Ever Before
The 2026 BHP Xplor exploration accelerator cohort is the largest in the program’s history. Selected companies include ASX-listed Litchfield Minerals (ASX: LMS) and Orion Minerals (ASX: ORN), alongside unlisted entrants RadiXplore, Discovery Genomics, Frontier Exploration, Otrera Resources, VectOres Science, Mineural, PT GeoFix, and the Utah Geological Survey.
The inclusion of a government geological body and multiple technology companies marks a deliberate shift in the program’s scope. For the first time, BHP has opened the BHP Xplor exploration accelerator to technology-focused entrants alongside traditional exploration companies.
Technology and Exploration Combined for the First Time
Head of BHP Xplor Marley Palin described the program’s expanded design as a natural evolution. She said the goal from the very beginning was to bring technology and exploration companies together in the same cohort.
Palin explained that the combination creates an internal learning loop. Technology companies are actively applied across the exploration projects, while the exploration teams benefit from leading-edge tools. The result, in her words, is a powerful innovation incubator within the cohort itself.
What Participants Receive Through the Program
Each participant in the junior mining exploration funding program receives US$500,000 in non-dilutive, equity-free funding. Companies also gain access to BHP’s technical expertise, business development support, safety frameworks, governance training, and negotiation skills.
Palin described the program’s ambition directly: “It’s like exploration’s Build-A-Bear. You get to go in, hand pick interesting projects, interesting teams, but then 9-12 months, we turn them into perfect partners.”
Litchfield Minerals Targets a Tier 1 Copper System in the Northern Territory
Litchfield Minerals is one of the two ASX-listed companies in the 2026 cohort. The Company joined the BHP Xplor exploration accelerator to pursue a potential tier 1 copper discovery at its Oonagalabi copper Project in the Northern Territory.
Managing Director Matthew Pustahya said Litchfield recognised it lacked the technical depth to explore beyond 500 metres. BHP’s involvement has given the Company access to deep structural analysis tools more commonly associated with oil and gas exploration than junior mining.
Drilling Results and the Search for a Larger System
Litchfield’s recent drilling at Oonagalabi returned 128 metres at 0.6% copper, 1% zinc, and 4 grams per tonne silver from 23 metres. The Company is awaiting further assays and believes these results represent the upper portion of a much larger system beneath.
Figure 2: Schematic geological cross-section of drill hole OGRC0017 [Courtesy: Stockhead]
Pustahya said BHP and Litchfield are currently analysing structures down to 70 kilometres using Northern Territory Government geophysical data. The data, he said, indicates the presence of a large interpreted sulphide system sitting at approximately 10 kilometres depth. The focus now is on identifying the structures that could bring mineralisation closer to the surface.
Technical Confidence as a Program Outcome
Pustahya was direct about what the junior mining exploration funding has meant beyond the capital itself. He said he would not have had the confidence to pursue the current technical programme without BHP’s backing.
He noted that the Company has secured access to some of Australia’s best consultants, access that would likely not have been possible without BHP’s involvement.
Technology Companies Bring a New Dimension to Xplor
Two of the 2026 cohort’s most distinctive entrants are technology businesses. RadiXplore and Discovery Genomics each bring tools that challenge conventional approaches to mineral exploration.
RadiXplore, co-founded by Russell Menezes and Teryne Yong, has built an AI platform that unifies 200 years of geological archives, live market intelligence, and modern datasets into a single map.
The platform conducts detailed post-mortems on historical exploration reports, identifying what was done, why it failed, and cataloguing findings into a searchable database. Work that previously took six months can now be completed in a single day.
DNA Sequencing as a Next-Generation Exploration Tool
Discovery Genomics, a Vancouver-based Company co-founded by Dr Sean Crowe and Bianca Iulianella Phillips at the University of British Columbia, uses DNA sequencing to map microbial biosignatures around buried mineral deposits.
The technology integrates high-throughput sequencing with geoscience data as a complement to traditional geochemistry and geophysics.
Iulianella Phillips said the Company had no laboratory infrastructure before joining Xplor. Within two months of the program, Discovery Genomics had established a lab, acquired equipment, and begun developing commercial data products. She credited BHP’s business and strategy expertise for rapidly accelerating the Company’s commercial readiness.
Industry Outlook
Global demand for copper and other critical minerals continues to grow, driven by the energy transition and infrastructure investment across major economies. The search for tier 1 copper discovery targets has intensified as existing deposits mature and greenfield opportunities become more technically demanding.
Programs like the BHP Xplor exploration accelerator represent a structural response by major miners to the challenge of replenishing long-term mineral pipelines through junior mining exploration funding partnerships.
Future Direction and Impact on the Junior Exploration Sector
The BHP Xplor exploration accelerator is producing measurable outcomes beyond the program itself:
- BHP reports a 50% conversion rate from Xplor participants into its exploration portfolio, through vendor agreements, investments, earn-ins, and generative alliances
- Each 2026 participant receives US$500,000 in non-dilutive junior mining exploration funding, with no equity dilution
- Litchfield Minerals continues to await further assay results from Oonagalabi as it refines its tier 1 copper discovery thesis
- Technology entrants RadiXplore and Discovery Genomics are both advancing toward commercial deployment with BHP’s operational and strategic support
- The 2026 cohort’s Adelaide workshop camp and Olympic Dam site visit mark the midpoint of the program, with outcomes expected later in the year
- BHP has signalled continued expansion of Xplor, with the program’s scale and conversion metrics pointing to a growing role in the major’s exploration strategy
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is the BHP Xplor exploration accelerator?
Ans. It is BHP’s annual program that selects junior exploration and technology companies, providing them with US$500,000 in non-dilutive funding, technical support, and business development training over 9 to 12 months.
Q2. Who is in the 2026 BHP Xplor cohort?
Ans. The 2026 cohort includes Litchfield Minerals, Orion Minerals, RadiXplore, Discovery Genomics, Frontier Exploration, Otrera Resources, VectOres Science, Mineural, PT GeoFix, and the Utah Geological Survey.
Q3. What is Litchfield Minerals targeting through Xplor?
Ans. Litchfield is targeting a tier 1 copper discovery at its Oonagalabi Project in the Northern Territory, using BHP’s deep structural analysis tools and geophysical data.
Q4. What is BHP’s conversion rate from the Xplor program?
Ans. BHP reports a 50% conversion rate, meaning half of all Xplor participants have converted into BHP’s exploration portfolio in some form.
Q5. Why did BHP open Xplor to technology companies in 2026?
Ans. BHP expanded the program to create an innovation loop where technology companies are applied directly to exploration projects, accelerating outcomes for both cohort streams.
Disclaimer
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. All content is based on publicly available reporting and supplementary sources available at the time of publication. Investing in securities involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Readers should conduct their own research and seek independent financial advice before making any investment decisions. Colitco does not hold any position in the companies or organisations mentioned.
Sources
- https://stockhead.com.au/resources/inside-xplor-the-juniors-reaping-the-rewards-of-bhps-exploration-accelerator/
- https://www.asx.com.au/markets/company/BHP
- https://www.asx.com.au/markets/company/LMS
- https://www.asx.com.au/markets/company/ORN
Last modified: May 8, 2026
