AE Fuels Corporation (TSXV: AEF) (OTCQB: NRGFF) has been granted a five-year exploration licence, E46/1580, at its South Woodie Woodie Manganese Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, according to a company press release.

The new licence covers 34.95 km² and brings AEF's total exploration tenure at South Woodie Woodie to 533.43 km². The tenement sits immediately west of the Pearana and Pothole prospect areas, which lie outside the zones supporting the company's existing Inferred Mineral Resource of 11.3 million tonnes at 15.0% manganese.

E46/1580 is located approximately 33 km south of the Woodie Woodie manganese mining operation. Regional mapping identifies Pinjian Chert Breccia within the tenement, a rock formation associated with manganese mineralization at the Woodie Woodie mine and the Pearana-Pothole targets. Two interpreted structural trends intersect within the tenement, a geometry the company says is analogous to the structural setting at Pearana.

AEF noted that while the mapped geology provides a basis for exploration, the presence of manganese mineralization has not been confirmed and requires field investigation and drill testing.

The new licence adds to an exploration pipeline that includes 44 priority drill targets recently defined through a high-resolution gravity program at the Pearana and Pothole prospects. The company plans to integrate available geological and geophysical datasets for E46/1580, conduct field reconnaissance, and assess priority areas for additional geophysics and drill targeting.

"The new tenement contains prospective geology associated with manganese mineralization elsewhere in the district and structural trends comparable to Pearana," said Gary Lewis, CEO and Director of AE Fuels.

AEF also stated it continues to advance a downstream processing pathway, having produced battery-grade High-Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate crystals through continuous mini-pilot testwork.