Public Company News

Lithium Australia is one step closer to bringing its lithium ferro phosphate cathode powder pre-qualification plant to reality after results from independent testing confirmed its product proved more stable than the two leading commercial brands. The combination of commercial grade graphite and LFP demonstrated the potential to support long-lifetime cell designs. The testing was undertaken by NOVONIX Battery Technology Solutions as part of a customer joint materials selection program.

Kairos Minerals is poised to drill-test a recently discovered 1km long light and heavy rare earths anomaly which has produced early results going up to 553 parts per million total rare earths oxide. The pending RC drilling program at its Roe Hills project, 100km east of Kalgoorlie also includes some tantalising results for neodymium and praseodymium reaching up to 126ppm, heavy rare earth oxides grading up to 154ppm and light rare earth oxides running up to 420ppm.

Askari Metals has stepped up its aggressive exploration strategy across two tenements at its Uis lithium project in Namibia where it is targeting previously identified pegmatites. The dual RC campaign forms part of a recently expanded phase 1 program at tenement EPL 8535 from 3000m up to 4000m where it has pinpointed at least four different target zones.

Venus Metals Corporation subsidiary Redscope Enterprises will increase its net smelter royalty from the Youanmi Gold Mining leases to one per cent after signing a deal with St Claire Resources. Redscope currently holds a 0.7 per cent net smelter royalty for the Youanmi leases that will increase to one per cent following the completion of the deal with St Clair handing over its 0.3 per cent share.

ASX-listed Codrus Minerals has kicked off its maiden hunt for critical minerals with 2000m of RC drilling at its niobium-rich Karloning project in WA making the company a first mover to explore exclusively for rare earths in the area. After a successful reconnaissance exploration program last year, Codrus is keen to push deeper into the earth and test the potential of the Karloning project.

Superior Resources has confirmed the discovery of significant molybdenum mineralisation at its Bottletree prospect that forms part of the company’s Greenvale copper project near Townsville in Queensland. Recently received assay results from a drill campaign completed in December show impressive figures with a 6m intercept at 1.39 per cent molybdenum from 470m including a 1m section at an outstanding 5.2 per cent molybdenum from 474m.

Brightstar Resources has extended its Cork Tree Well gold deposit 30km north of Laverton, WA with a successful 30 RC hole 6000m drilling campaign. Assays from the first 13 holes have confirmed gold mineralised extensions along strike and at depth with the best results including a 2m hit grading 4.23 grams per tonne gold from 106m, 2m running 3 g/t from 140m and 4m at 1.88 g/t gold from 152m.

Toro Energy has extended its Dimma nickel discovery with another massive nickel sulphide intersection of 2.4m with P-XRF analysis between 1.4 and 5.1 per cent nickel. Drilling intersected an 8.9m zone of visible nickel sulphide mineralisation from 327.2m downhole. Dimma is one of Toro’s four new nickel sulphide discoveries in a 7.5km long komatiite rock unit at WA’s Yandal greenstone belt.

88 Energy will proceed to flow testing after confirming multiple hydrocarbon bearing pay zones at its Alaskan Hickory-1 oil well. The company’s wireline program discovered a new zone in addition to verifying hydrocarbon bearing pay zones across all pre-drill targets. Estimated net pay was calculated from wireline data and totalled 137.1m. Pre-drill expectations were all met or exceeded on reservoir quality, thickness, size and total net pay.

Lindian Resources has received positive signs from early phase metallurgical testwork at its Kangankunde project in Malawi with results showing concentrate grades of around 60 per cent rare earth oxides. The company says the test results show that water-only, low-cost gravity and magnetic beneficiation techniques are suitable for the mineralisation found at the operation.

Askari Metals is pulling out all stops as it hunts lithium at its Uis project in Namibia that adjoins Andrada’s 71.5 million tonne lithium-tin mine. The company has wrapped up the acquisition of a 90 per cent interest in the 114 square km exploration licence with a binding agreement to purchase the rest. RC drilling has kicked off after project wide mapping and sampling identified new pegmatite drilling targets.

Neometals has increased its ownership in joint venture company Recycling Industries Scandinavia AB (RISAB) up to 72.5 per cent as it moves towards developing Finland’s first vanadium recovery project. The remaining 27.5 per cent of RISAB equity is held by unlisted Australian mineral development company Critical Metals.