Kivalliq (Aug 28/06) - Starfield Resources hopes 100 holes drilled around Ferguson Lake will prove there's wealth locked in the ground west of Rankin Inlet.

The company has three drill rigs at work chewing holes into the west zone of its 1.3 million acre copper-cobalt-nickel-palladium-platinum project.

Once summer exploration work is complete, the company plans to commission an engineering firm to prepare a pre-feasibility study from its 2005 and 2006 data, said Leif Smither, director of investor relations with the company.

Starfield will also attempt to attract senior mining companies to invest in the project, said Smither.

"We've got huge targets. We can only do so much."

With such a large land mass of potential mineral claims, Smither said partnerships with bigger firms with deeper pockets make sense from a development point of view.

So far, 47 holes have been drilled in 2006 in the push to define the metal resources on the property's western side.

"We are focusing on moving a lot of our resources from inferred resources to measured and indicated resources," said Smither.

An exploration team is also doing geophysical surveys and geological mapping in other areas of the property.

Currently Starfield has 60 workers on the property - but that number should increase in the future.

Employing workers from the Kivalliq region is a top priority for the company, said Smither.

"People in the area can't be ignored. They will essentially be our partners."

Charlotte Hickes, Rankin Inlet community economic development officer, said that while Starfield is only at the exploration stage, mining could bring a number of jobs.

"It could definitely benefit the community," she said.

"I think young people are looking for employment."

Besides attempting to attract senior mining companies, Starfield is also looking using some newer technology if and when the time to process ore arrives, said Smither.

A hydrometallurgical ore processing plant would be better for the environment, he said adding it would also keep operating and capital costs lower.