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“Copper is one of the hottest commodities right now, which is evident by the capital commitments from the big players like BHP and Rio Tinto – everybody is looking to copper now,” says Belararox Managing Director and founder Arvind Misra.  

“The world consumes about 30 million tonnes of copper a year, but that needs to be 55mt to help decarbonise the world.  

“But production has been decreasing as older mines slow down and not a lot of new mines have been discovered.” 

Belararox’s copper pipeline spans three continents 

Belararox’s key assets include the Toro-Malambo-Tambo (TMT) project in Argentina and the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB) in Botswana – both copper hotspots attracting global giants like BHP, Glencore and Sandfire. 

Belararox also has the Bullabulling Project near Coolgardie in WA and its inaugural project Belara in New South Wales – both of which are of smaller scale than TMT and KCB.  

Misra says when the opportunity arose to explore in Argentina, “it was too good to let it go”. 

The company has now completed two drilling seasons at TMT. In April 2025, it confirmed initial observations of copper mineralisation from reaching a depth of 1,300 metres, with testing at further depths is still required.  

“We will analyse the results of this field season in the next couple of months and then plan for the next field season in October,” Misra says.  

KCB is in early stages, with recent surface work set to define drilling targets. Drilling is expected to start in July or August 2025.  

Navigating global operations 

Operating across jurisdictions presents challenges – from cultural differences to time zones and climate conditions. 

But Misra says the support from governments and communities has been strong. 

“As the world focuses towards decarbonisation, critical mineral exploration is gaining momentum and government support has been very positive in all the regions we operate,” he says.  

“We don’t have any problems getting approvals or permits to work.” 

As with most industries, artificial intelligence is reshaping exploration, and Belararox is embracing the shift.  

“When we drill, we take into account multi-disciplinary information that gets fed to our geology, geochemistry and geophysics data,” he says. 

“We mix them up to come up with the optimum modelling where we can test the orebody, which is sitting beneath the surface. 

“This makes exploration much more efficient, which results in lower costs. But more importantly we are analysing multiple scenarios with the help of computers and these models are much faster.”  

Backbone of exploration: people and capital 

With a background in mining engineering and business growth, Misra says success comes down to two things: capital and people. 

“Thankfully I’ve been able to raise money successfully – that’s a key part of exploration – and having a good team (about 70 people across jurisdictions) with good leaders who have a strong track record of discoveries,” he said.  

“I always believed the people are the best asset you have in any business.” 

Going global with CCIWA’s support 

Belararox joined CCIWA in 2023 to access consulting from the International Trade Services team. 

“When I was expanding into Botswana, I asked the team if they could put me in touch with the High Commissioner, which they did and it was very helpful,” Misra says.  

“Similarly, I met the Argentina Ambassador here, facilitated by [CCIWA Head of International Trade Services] Michael Carter.” 

The business is also working on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Curtin University and Mendoza in Argentina, facilitated by CCIWA Senior Trade Consultant Darren Levy.  

“It's really pleasing to see the support we get. And it’s real support, it's not like just connecting people, they get involved and see it to the end. If there are issues, they can help resolve them,” Misra says. 

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