Interview with David Detata, Managing Director of Strategic Energy Resources

Recording date: 9th October 2025

Strategic Energy Resources (ASX:SER), a Perth-based junior explorer with a market capitalization of approximately $4-5 million, has established a distinctive position in Queensland's copper-gold exploration sector through its prospect generator business model and hypothesis-driven approach to target evaluation.

Managing Director David Detata brings an unconventional background to mineral exploration, having spent nearly 20 years as a forensic scientist specializing in analytical chemistry before transitioning to the mining sector in 2019. This scientific discipline shapes the company's methodical approach: "We see each one of our individual copper projects as its own research entity. And we're employing that hypothesis testing approach to it."

The company's portfolio comprises four copper-gold projects in Queensland, with the flagship Canobie Project exemplifying SER's partnership strategy. Following 18 months of negotiation, Fortescue (FMG) entered a joint venture committing $3 million for drilling four priority targets over 12 months. The agreement includes a 5% management fee and a two-stage earn-in structure (50% then 80%) over six years. Critically, SER negotiated drilling metrics requiring 3,000 meters of basement testing at each stage, ensuring meaningful exploration outcomes rather than just cover penetration.

In March 2025, SER completed a transformational acquisition of the Diamantina project from Anglo American for $600,000, accessing approximately $20 million worth of previous exploration work. The project contains proven mineralization—161 meters at 0.4% copper including a higher-grade zone of 0.6 meters at 25.6% copper. Anglo American approached SER specifically based on their exploration methodology, providing access to data the broader market had never seen.

The company employs machine learning models developed with Queensland government support and Caldera Analytics to optimize target selection, particularly at the Isa North project where active drilling is currently underway. This technology-driven approach, combined with collaborations with the University of Tasmania's CODES group, aims to improve discovery probabilities before committing capital.

SER's business model focuses on advancing projects to proof-of-concept stage to attract major partners, preserving shareholder capital while maintaining discovery upside. As DeTata emphasizes: "For us the only thing that moves the needle is drilling success and we are determined to keep drilling."

View Strategic Energy Resources' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/strategic-energy-resources

Sign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com