Public Company News

After a thin few weeks for notable drill intercepts on the ASX, Bulls N’ Bears Big Hits this week digs deeper into Western Mines Group’s big reveal of an eye-watering 5.3 million tonnes of contained nickel metal in the company’s maiden mineral resource estimate for its Mulga Tank project in the WA Goldfields. That includes a notable hit from its most recent - and deepest - diamond drill hole.

Aurum Resources will kick off a maiden diamond drill program this month at its newly acquired Boundiali South tenement in Cote d’Ivoire to pursue some big hits from previous reverse circulation drilling, including a 20m intercept at 10.45 grams per tonne (g/t) gold. With government approvals on track, Aurum sees no further impediment to future exploration or obtaining mining rights for the prospect.

Horizon Minerals has awarded ASX-listed GR Engineering with the scope to complete engineering studies on the mothballed Black Swan processing facility to have it roar back to life as a gold plant. The coveted piece of infrastructure was secured by Horizon from its recent merger with Poseidon Nickel. The Kalgoorlie plant was used to process nickel before it was placed on care and maintenance.

Lindian Resources will start metallurgical test work of its high-grade Kangankunde monazite from Malawi, helped by Australia’s top nuclear science team, to target a market-ready mixed rare earth carbonate product. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation will run parallel acid and alkaline cracking methods to find the most economical way of producing a usable carbonate product prior to generating a final certificate of analysis.

This week’s Bulls N’ Bears ASX Runners of the Week is… Whitehawk Ltd, after it became a core cyber partner in a massive US$920M (A$1474M) US government contract. WA junior goldie OzAurum surged on results from its Cross Fault discovery next to Carosue Dam, Argent’s cannabis-based epilepsy therapy was approved for prescription in Germany and Galan turned down an unsolicited $240M bid for its Argentinian lithium projects.

Estrella Resources is set to make history in Timor-Leste by launching the country’s first mineral exploration drilling campaign at its Ira Miri, Sica and Lalena manganese prospects. Partnering with experienced in-country operator CoreSearch Minerals, a division of the experienced H2O group, Estrella is investing US$200,000 to mobilise a fully equipped RC and diamond drilling rig into the country’s northwest.

Galan Lithium has turned down a US$150 million (A$240M) cash offer from a Chinese-French combo to acquire its lithium brine projects in Argentina, labelling the proposal “opportunistic” and “undervalued”. The market responded swiftly, with Galan’s shares soaring more than 50 per cent to a high of 16c per share - defying the broader ASX index and lithium market sentiment.

GreenTech Metals and Artemis Resources have teamed up to form Andover Lithium, creating a massive 420-square-kilometre lithium exploration venture in Western Australia’s highly prospective West Pilbara region. By consolidating their lithium assets into one joint venture, the duo now holds the largest exploration package in the area - boosting the companies’ appeal to major funding partners drawn to the landholding’s scale and potential.

ASX-listed video tech innovator Atomos Limited has struck a savvy new $13.7 million debt deal - wiping out its old facility and dodging any shareholder dilution in the process. The move also delivers a fresh shot of $5M in working capital, as the company eyes a return to positive cash flow within the next year.

Novo Resources will launch a 2000m reverse circulation drilling program this month at Tibooburra in northwestern NSW to test high grade gold results from soil and rock chip geochemistry and other exploration. Recent surface sampling at the Clone prospect produced results of 89.6g/t and 41.9g/t gold in mullock around old workings and 31.4g/t and 10.4g/t gold from quartz vein outcrop along a 700m strike.

Javelin Minerals has taken the final hurdle ahead of drilling at its Eureka gold project, 50km north of Kalgoorlie, by completing of a heritage survey that clears the path for a maiden 3000m reverse circulation drill program. The company has a rig secured and ready to target extensions of high-grade lodes and a series of untested anomalies around the existing high-grade pit.

Shares in Buru Energy soared as much as 36 per cent on the open to 4.9 cents after the company inked a game-changing deal with a private LNG processing and supply firm to fund and build an LNG plant at its Rafael-1 gas discovery in WA’s Canning Basin. The deal could see Buru transition from explorer to producer with saleable gas potentially flowing from Rafael by the second half of 2027.