Announcements

ASX-listed gold miner Ora Banda Mining has chalked up a solid quarter of gold production at its recently revived flagship Davyhurst mining and processing operation in WA. The company achieved total gold output of 10,356 ounces for the three-month period ended June 30 from 201,817 tonnes of ore treated that went at an average head grade of 1.81 grams per tonne.

Aldoro Resources has added to its exploration target list in Western Australia, with recent geophysical surveying over its tenure on the Narndee Intrusion, east of Paynes Find, lighting up new drill targets. Moving loop electromagnetic surveys over the ground to the east of its VC1 prospect has highlighted two prospective sulphide conductors, with three-dimensional modelling providing additional targets for current drilling programs.

ASX-listed Ardiden Limited has secured a $500,000 improvement in the terms of its divestment of up to 80 per cent of its hard-rock lithium projects in north-west Ontario, Canada, to ASX hopeful Green Technology Metals. The duo will form a joint venture partnership that will see Green Technology buy the stake under a staged-payment structure for $9.2 million.

Perth-based explorer Venture Minerals has increased its footprint in Western Australia’s emerging western Yilgarn nickel-copper-PGE province, through the strategic earn-in acquisition of highly prospective tenure south of the company’s Kulin project. Kulin sits along strike of the Jimperding metamorphic belt that hosts Chalice Mining’s high-profile Julimar nickel-copper-PGE discovery.

ASX-listed Si6 Metals expects to wrap up its acquisition of the Monument gold project in Western Australia’s Laverton district before the end of next month after exercising a long-held option with DiscovEx Resources to purchase the large land package in one of the world’s most prolific gold producing areas.

Western Australia explorer Zuleika Gold has delivered a bevy of high-grade gold intercepts from its recent round of drilling at the Paradigm East discovery, north-west of Kalgoorlie. Deeper reverse circulation drilling has returned 10 metres at 2.53 grams per tonne gold from 51m and 4m at 4.93 g/t which includes an impressive 1m at 18.48 g/t from 72m down-hole.

Kairos Minerals could be set for some significant milestones with results pending from about 15,000m of gold drilling at its Mt York and Kangan projects in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The company is looking to grow Mt York’s existing 873,000-ounce resource base, whilst at Kangan it is seeking to uncover an intrusion-hosted gold deposit similar to the nearby 6.8-million-ounce Hemi gold discovery.

ASX-listed junior explorer Aruma Resources says it is finally “locked and loaded” and ready to set off an avalanche of drilling starting in August at its pipeline of key projects in Western Australia after securing a series of state regulatory approvals for its planned programs. The company plans to punch out an impressive total of about 9,000m of reverse circulation drilling across its quartet of assets.

King River Resources has delivered several batches of a 5N high-purity precursor compound used to produce 4N high-purity alumina through its innovative and proprietary ARC process. The company plans to become a producer of 4N high-purity alumina and has launched a definitive feasibility study into its proposed operation at Kwinana in Western Australia after tabling some stellar numbers in a recent pre-feasibility study.

ASX-listed Conico Limited saw its share price double in intra-day trading this week after the first drill hole at its 100 per cent owned Ryberg base and precious metals project in Greenland hit a 54.88m interval of significant sulphide mineralisation. Drilling is targeting three modelled electromagnetic plates said to be prospective for magmatic sulphides at the Miki prospect, where surface grab samples returned elevated copper, nickel, palladium, cobalt and gold.

Kingwest Resources has teased out tantalising gold intersections from drilling beyond the current pit shell limit for one of the key deposits at its multi-deposit flagship Menzies gold project in WA. The company’s extensional drilling at the Yunndaga deposit returned impressive assays of 7m grading 5 g/t gold from 163m including 3m at 10.6 g/t and 5m at 2.35 g/t from 100m including 1m at 7.55 g/t.

ASX-listed 3D printing specialist Aurora Labs has officially opened its new head office premises in the Perth suburb of Canning Vale, Western Australia, from where the company will continue its push to bring a new generation 3D laser printer for industrial metal components to the market. The company has said the move will enable it to achieve long-term cost savings of up to $240,000 a year.

Horizon Minerals has racked up a pile of high-grade gold hits from infill and extensional drilling at its Kalpini project about 65km north-east of Kalgoorlie in WA. The company’s drill program returned better intersections of 12m grading 5.57 g/t gold from 203m including 2m at 12.92 g/t from 211m and 5m going at 10.21 g/t from 70m including 1m at 28.83 g/t from 72m.

Blackstone Minerals has tabled a pre-feasibility study projecting very strong profits for downstream processing of its nickel concentrate products in Vietnam. The study is based on construction of a refinery close to its developing Ta Khoa operations which will produce a nickel-cobalt-manganese product for use in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and could deliver revenues in excess of $19 billion over an initial 10-year period.

Mineral sands producer Image Resources is turning its attention to gold exploration, with results from drilling at the company’s King prospect in Western Australia bringing home the bacon. The company’s recent exploration over the discovery has delineated high-grade mineralisation along more than 400m of strike, with results including 10m at an impressive 8.4 grams per tonne gold from only 47m down-hole.

ASX-listed Troy Resources has tabled a maiden ore reserve for the Smarts underground project at its Karouni gold operation in central Guyana. The company sees the 89,400-ounce reserve supporting production for at least 2.5 years while it explores for potential extensions. Mineralisation is said to remain open below the calculated reserve of 1,082,000 tonnes grading 2.6 grams per tonne gold.

ASX-listed 3D metal printing specialist Aurora Labs is making strong progress in its plans to develop faster and higher quality laser printing for heavy industry components, hitting the third milestone on its ‘pathway to commercialisation’ of its flagship 3D printer. Hitting its ambitious target would set Aurora apart from competitors in terms of production speed and power.

Trigg Mining has released a maiden indicated resource statement for its high-grade Lake Throssell sulphate of potash project in WA as it looks to advance a scoping study on a possible project development. In the wake of recent trench brine pumping testing of a surface aquifer, the company says it upgraded more than 13 per cent of the Lake Throssell deposit’s previously announced inferred resource.

Victory Mines continues to hit paydirt in Western Australia with ongoing drilling at its Coogee project south of Kalgoorlie returning anomalous gold intercepts. The company’s third phase of drilling has successfully intersected mineralisation along strike from the historical Coogee open pit, with results including 8m at 3.64 grams per tonne gold from 172m down-hole.

Venus Metals has delivered a broad platinum group element drill intercept at its Youanmi PGE and base metals project in the Murchison district of Western Australia, with a 30m hit grading 0.95 grams per tonne combined platinum, palladium and gold, 0.22 per cent copper and 0.24 per cent nickel from 40m extending mineralisation some 50m west of a previous thick intercept.

Askari Metals is on the verge of kicking off a maiden round of reverse circulation drilling at its flagship Burracoppin gold project in WA. The company has now finalised plans for the initial 2,000m program and will be looking to follow up on a slew of historical high-grade drill results and vector in on gold mineralisation below a line of old artisanal mining shafts.

ASX-listed mining technology company K2fly has laid out plans for an executive changing of the guard with Chief Commercial Officer and veteran industry leader Nic Pollock to take the helm as Chief Executive Officer from the start of September this year. Current CEO Brian Miller says he remains committed to the company and will continue as an Executive Director.

ASX-listed junior explorer Valor Resources says a recently completed airborne geophysical survey has exceeded its expectations, pointing to historical uranium occurrences and new targets across its Hook Lake project in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Follow-up field exploration work has been earmarked to kick off this month and the Perth-based company hopes to be drilling priority prospects in the venerated Athabasca Basin region later in the year.

ASX-listed biotechnology company PharmAust has filed a patent for the use of its monepantel anti-cancer drug to treat viral diseases, having previously said the drug had a positive anti-viral effect on cultured cells infected with COVID-19. The company is developing monepantel as a novel, safe and effective treatment for cancer in humans and animals and is also testing its efficacy in neurodegenerative disease.

Askari Metals has undertaken an initial field reconnaissance program at its Burracoppin gold project about 20km east of Merredin in WA’s eastern Wheatbelt region prior to its planned inaugural reverse circulation drilling program kicking off next week. The company says during the reconnaissance work several old shallow artisanal mining shafts that are prevalent along an interpreted strike length of about 1.6km were given a once-over.

ASX-listed Coda Minerals says it is unlocking the potential of its newly discovered Emmie Bluff IOCG deposit in South Australia’s Gawler Craton, with new directional diamond drilling intersecting copper sulphide zones broadly comparable to the recently announced discovery hole. The new intercepts are reportedly dominated by high-tenor copper sulphides including bornite and covellite suggesting Coda is closing in on a large-scale mineralised structure.

Hydrometallurgical testing by King River Resources has delivered 99.73 per cent pure titanium dioxide product from its 100 per cent owned Speewah specialty metals project in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The company is aiming to develop a process flowsheet at the project that will produce high-purity vanadium and titanium products for use in vanadium flow batteries, master alloys and titanium oxide pigments.

Vietnam-focused Blackstone Minerals has confirmed independent production and verification of a battery-grade nickel-cobalt-manganese 811 sample using nickel from its Ban Phuc project on the eve of delivering a much-awaited pre-feasibility study on nickel refining in northern Vietnam. The ASX-listed company says the precursor sample achieved a purity above 99.7 per cent.

Aspiring London-based Balkans precious and base metals producer Adriatic Metals has been given the nod to start trading on OTC Markets Group’s premier “OTCQX Best Market”. Adriatic management says upgrading to the OTCQX offers its existing and prospective US shareholders improved market visibility, increased trading liquidity and the most up-to-date information otherwise not found on the Pink market.

Venus Metals and joint venture partner Rox Resources have drilled high-grade gold some 80m outside of the existing resource base at their Youanmi gold project in the Murchison district of Western Australia with a 6.8m intercept returning a stellar 11.98 grams per tonne gold from 264m. Drilling continues as the partners seek to grow the 1.66-million-ounce resource at the project.

Lithium Australia has gained admission to the coveted Global Battery Alliance, an international collaboration between public and private organisations dedicated to ensuring sustainability in the battery value chain. The company will now have direct access to experts and key participants in the global battery recycling industry, enhancing its aspirations to vertically integrate lithium extraction, production of battery materials and battery recycling.

Wiluna Mining has pumped out a solid 12 months of gold production at its Wiluna operation in WA’s north-eastern Goldfields with the performance complemented by a cracking average price on gold sales. The company reported June quarter production of 12,524oz from Wiluna at all-in sustaining costs averaging an impressive $1,371/oz, taking the full financial year production total to 51,552oz at average all-in sustaining costs of $1,794/oz.