Bulls N' Bears (Commercial Content)

Quantum Graphite says it is poised to take advantage of the respective booming markets for battery anode materials and long-duration energy storage after positive flake-sampling tests in South Australia. First-phase flake test-work achieved a purity of 97.59 per cent graphitic carbon and the company predicts increased temperatures will raise that mark to the 99.5 per cent needed for anode production.

AVZ Minerals has unveiled a monster lithium hit, with credible tin additions, from five holes in a wider 54-hole drilling campaign at its Manono project in the Congo. Headline results include 308m at 1.53 per cent lithium oxide and 731ppm tin from 22.5m, with another 176.3m grading 1.67 per cent lithium oxide and 898ppm tin from 23.7m.

North American explorer 88 Energy has revealed deep-diving plans to chase up to 647 million barrels of Alaskan oil in six target zones after successfully drilling its Hickory-1 surface hole to a depth of 1088m. The company has installed casing and a blow-out prevention system at Hickory-1 and will now proceed to the full depth of 3810m.

Octava Minerals believes it may be on the cusp of proving up a significant nickel sulphide orebody in the wake of finding high-grade mineralisation from deep drilling at its JV project in WA’s Kimberley. The company’s project partner, Future Metals, has reported the discovery of high-grade platinum group metals that is believed to extend “well beyond” its 6.9-million-ounce mineral resource.

Askari Metals’ bold vision of identifying a major exploration discovery at its Uis lithium project in Namibia has received a timely boost through the signing of a conditional investment agreement with global giant, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt. The deal, and an accompanying institutional investment raise, would boost the company’s coffers by more than $5.7 million as it aims to beef up exploration.

St George Mining has acquired seven hard rock lithium projects to beef up its impressive WA portfolio and further drive its strategic move into lithium exploration, in addition to its flagship Mt Alexander nickel project. Several of the new projects are located along strike from renowned high-grade spodumene lithium deposits and active mines in WA’s Eastern Goldfields region.

ASX-listed cell therapy company Chimeric Therapeutics has moved a step closer to trialling its treatment for gastrointestinal and neuroendocrine cancers on humans following a successful meeting with the powerful American regulator the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company says the FDA’s feedback was encouraging and its advice supports the company’s proposed phase 1 trial for the cancer-fighting treatment.

Ora Banda Mining looks set to pocket $4.2 million in a three-way deal that includes the sale of four non-core tenements to Beacon Minerals and a new royalty agreement with key investor Hawkes Point. Ora Banda has agreed to sell four of its Lady Ida licences in the Goldfields region of WA to Beacon through its wholly owned subsidiary for $2.5 million while still retaining all non-silver and non-gold mineral rights over the tenements.

Surefire Resources hopes a “unique” high-purity alumina deposit, with returns grading up to 31 per cent aluminium oxide, will lead to lucrative rewards from its flagship Victory Bore vanadium project, 400km inland from the WA port city of Geraldton. The company has appointed Queensland-based consultant Lava Blue to start purification test work aimed at leading to the production of high-purity alumina product.

Everest Metals is a different looking company today from when it was Twenty Seven Co up until last year. It has totally renewed its board which is now led by mining man Mark Caruso and assisted by COO and former finance professional Simon Phillips. The new board has its foot on a curious new project that boasts multiple near surface gold reefs and hints of DeGrussa-style copper at depth.

Allup Silica is rapidly ticking boxes at its Sparkler project in the South-West of WA as it readies the silica sands project for a mining licence which it will apply for next quarter. The company has appointed the South-West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council to undertake a Heritage Survey and it has also just wrapped up an auger drilling campaign at its Dune Buggy and Pink Bark projects near Esperance with some success.

WA-based oil producer Triangle Energy has banked $10 million through a binding farmout agreement with New Zealand Oil & Gas for 25 per cent of its L7 production licence and EP 437 exploration permit. Following the separate sale to Talon Energy in December last year of another 25 per cent slice of its permits, Triangle retains a 50 per cent stake of its original tenure.

Neometals is in the crosshairs of the European Investment Bank for cornerstone debt funding of its vanadium recycling project in Finland. The EIB is the lending arm of the EU and one of the biggest providers of climate-related finance. While it does not tend to lend 100 per cent of required funding for projects, its approval could see other commercial banks come to the table.

ABx Group has hit paydirt with its latest rare earths exploration in Tasmania with assays from an ongoing drill campaign more than tripling the initial mineral resource of its Deep Leads and Rubble Mound channel. At 13.9 million tonnes, the resource is now 350 per cent larger than the maiden mineral resource however, with assays outstanding and drilling continuing, a further upgrade might be on the cards.

Terrain Minerals has used an induced polarisation survey to help lock in two priority gold-drilling targets under shallow cover and near existing gold prospects at its Smokebush project in the Yalgoo mineral field, 350km north of Perth. The company found a 400m IP anomaly near existing drilling where results include a 5m hit at 6.1 g/t gold from 55m.

Ora Banda Mining will collect a cool $10 million for the sale of non-core tenements at Lady Ida, 65km south of its Davyhurst gold processing plant in WA. The company says the move will strengthen its balance sheet ahead of a decision on the go-ahead for its Riverina underground gold mine. The sale includes low-grade gold resources in addition to related mining and infrastructure licences.

Multi-commodity explorer Meeka Metals continues to rack up high-grade gold hits at its Circle Valley project near the WA town of Esperance, where it expects to soon deliver a maiden rare earths mineral resource. The intriguing intercepts appear to be evolving into a significant gold footprint covering several kilometres at its underexplored tenure. The head grade came in a 4m core showing 3.89 g/t.

Infinity Mining has a renewed optimism in its search for more lithium-bearing pegmatites and rare earths after positive results in the latest field program at its South Tambourah project in WA’s Pilbara region. The return of eight rock chip samples collected late last year confirm lithium mineralisation of up to 3.86 per cent lithium, 338.5 parts-per-million caesium, 174ppm niobium, 233.7ppm tantalum and 3013.5ppm rubidium.

Classic Minerals has joined the ranks of WA gold miners after hauling the first ore from its wholly-owned Kat Gap gold mine, which sits 170km south of Southern Cross in the State’s Central Wheatbelt. Initial haulage is focused on 6500 tonnes of ore recovered from the bulk sample pit. Kat Gap has a healthy grade of 2.96 g/t gold with near-surface mineralisation.

Surefire Resources has the drill bit spinning again at its promising Yidby gold project in the Murchison district of WA’s Mid West, targeting extensions to gold mineralised intercepts of discovery holes at the project’s three main prospects. The program will also test structural targets generated from magnetic and gravity data and will comprise 24 RC holes for a total of 2800m.

EMU NL has confirmed the presence of both magnetic and heavy rare earths at its Condingup project near Esperance after rock samples returned results of up to 2124 parts-per-million total rare earth oxides. A total of eight samples were collected from a reconnaissance program late last year including three rocks from the Booanya granite complex that all returned results above 1000ppm TREO.

A high-resolution aeromagnetic survey has identified high-priority drill targets for clay-hosted and fresh rock rare earths mineralisation at Venus Metals’ wholly-owned Marvel Loch East project in WA. Hard rock targets include a 25km long magnetic trend and a 3km zoned magnetic anomaly where previous rock chips up to 4365ppm total rare earths were discovered.

Reach Resources has identified four major targets for lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites within its Critical Elements project in WA’s Gascoyne region after independent analysis from geological experts. The initial phase of the assessment by RSC Consultants focused on Reach’s Morrissey Hill, Camel Hill and Wabli Creek projects that form part of the greater Critical Elements operation.

Everest Metals has achieved exceptional gold recoveries from independent gravity separation test work from its Revere gold project 90km northeast of Meekatharra. Coarse gold hand-picked from the 305 g/t gold bulk quartz vein sample accounted for 47 per cent of the recovered gold and gravity separation recovered 97 per cent of the remaining gold. The company is now planning further bulk testing and resource drilling.

Asra Minerals’ Mt Stirling project near Leonora in WA’s Goldfields has thrown up traces of highly sought-after “heavy” rare earths in addition to lucrative scandium that stretches from only 2m below surface to the bottom of 40m drill holes. Headline drill numbers include 48m at 90 parts per million scandium oxide from 3m and 7m at 669ppm total rare earths and yttrium oxide from 5m.

Xanadu Mines has wrapped up the next two phases of its strategic partnership with Chinese copper goliath Zijin Mining, giving it access to funding for the exploration and evaluation of its Kharmagtai copper-gold project all the way up to a decision to mine. The deal will see US$35 million invested directly into the project and a 50-50 joint venture created between the parties.

88 Energy has spudded its Hickory-1 well at the company’s Phoenix project in Alaska, testing a sweet spot of seismic anomalies in a region that has enjoyed recent drilling success. The Hickory-1 well is permitted to a total depth 3.81 km and designed to appraise up to six conventional oil reservoir targets with a net entitlement prospective resource of 647 mean million barrels of oil.

ASX and Frankfurt-listed Altech Batteries has received A$5.12 million as the first of two deferred instalment payments from Frankfurt-listed Altech Advanced Materials for the purchase of 25 per cent of Aletch Batteries subsidiary Altech Industries Germany GmbH. The final instalment of 1.583 million euros or approximately A$2.5 million is payable in December 2023 completing the deal done in December 2020.

ASX-listed Classic Minerals is making steady progress on its ambitions to become a gold producer and has begun installing a processing plant on foundations at the company’s flagship Kat Gap project in the WA Goldfields. The heaviest parts of the Australian-made Gekko plant are being secured to foundations and work is beginning on ancillary structures, electrical and plumbing scopes.

Meeka Metals’ latest diamond drilling has confirmed high-grade gold at its St Anne’s deposit as part of the company’s flagship Murchison gold project. Headline results include 12.8m at 5.21 grams per tonne gold from 54.3m. The company says it remains on target to release a maiden mineral resource for the deposit later this month with further drilling also to kick off in coming weeks.

Aurum Resources has commenced an induced polarisation gradient array geophysical survey at its Penny South project that is planned to cover an area of 5.2 square kilometres. The main target for the IP survey is ultramafic schist units that Aurum believes are possibly more extensive than previously interpreted and may host nickel-copper mineralisation. The Penny South project is located 126 kms south-east of Mt Magnet in WA.

TSX-listed Novo Resources has highlighted a number of high-priority targets at its Becher gold project in the Pilbara after receiving the results from the company’s 2022 air-core drill campaign at the operation. Becher forms part of Novo’s 10,500 square kilometre Pilbara tenement package and sits within its greater Egina gold camp and between De Grey Mining’s Mallina and Hemi gold projects.