MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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 applicantsExploration companiesFrontierX (Canada) – Frontier X is an early-stage uranium exploration company in Canada, formed by two BHP Xplor Year One alumni, Fabian Baker and ...Full story available on Benzinga.com
