Public Company News

88 Energy is gearing up to tap its Merlin-2 well at Project Peregrine in Alaska’s North Slope after pinpointing a spot from a trio of initially permitted locations. The Merlin-2 appraisal well is targeting 652 million barrels of oil with an independent geological evaluation giving it a better-than-even chance of success. The project stretches across almost 200,000 acres of land and is proximal to some bumper historic oil finds.

ASX-listed Aldoro Resources has the drill rig at the ready having received encouraging assay results from its recent sampling program over the Niobe East, Niobe Southeast and Breakaway pegmatites in WA. Almost 50 rock chips were collected with assay results confirming rubidium and lithium prospectivity beyond the Niobe main pit. Aldoro says it is now geared up and ready to unleash the drill rig once a heritage survey is completed.

Horizon Minerals is clearing a path towards a potential spin-off of its Richmond-Julia Creek Vanadium oxide project 400km east of Mt Isa in northwest Queensland having signed a process deed with JV partner, unlisted-Richmond Vanadium Technology. Under the terms of the potential deal Horizon’s 25 per cent interest in the Richmond-Julia Creek vanadium project will be demerged into a dedicated vanadium focussed IPO.

ASX-listed Okapi Resources has boots on the ground at its high-grade Rattler uranium project in Utah, USA with the Perth-based company’s first-pass exploration checklist at Rattler to include a detailed review of historical workings, geological mapping and rock chip sampling. Okapi anticipates wrapping up field work by the end of the year ahead of a drill campaign earmarked for early in the new year.

Junior explorer, Torian Resources has commenced a major 17,500m drilling blitz at its Mt Stirling gold project near Leonora in WA. The campaign will test multiple regional gold targets, including recent discoveries, whilst also looking to lift the company’s existing 100,000 ounce plus Mt Stirling inferred resource to the higher confidence indicated category. An updated mineral resource estimate is anticipated to follow early in the new year.

ASX-listed White Cliff Minerals looks set to bludgeon its way into the white-hot critical metals industry after completing the acquisition of two separate projects whilst advancing the pending acquisition of two junior explorers. As a result, the company may soon find itself with 10 additional lithium and REE projects on its books with its landholding poised to balloon by over 4000 square kilometres.

Indonesian-focused explorer, Sihayo Gold is off to a flyer from regional exploration drilling at its Sihorbo South epithermal vein gold and silver prospect on the island of North Sumatra. Results from the first three holes sunk into the prospect have returned bumper grade gold and silver, including a tasty one metre strike going 198 grams per tonne gold from 89m.

ABx Group has struck more success with best yet high grade rare earths intercepted in the first drill results from step-out drilling at its Deep Leads prospect in Northern Tasmania. The company has tabled multiple elevated rare earth hits including 493 parts per million neodymium and 1,878ppm total rare earth oxides over a three-metre mineralised section.

Askari Metals has completed a maiden lithium sampling program across its pegmatite targets at its Red Peak Lithium project approximately 130 kilometres northwest of Meekatharra in WA. 35 samples were collected across four different mapped pegmatites for assay in addition to a petrographic analysis that was undertaken to assist in understanding the zonation and fractionation grade of the pegmatites.

Market punters pushed Buru Energy’s share price up 25 per cent in intraday trading following news that the company’s Rafael 1 exploration well in the Canning Basin is set for production testing. Only last week Buru completed the drilling of Rafael and the company put a spring in its step after early indicators pointed to wet gas rich in LPG and condensate in the hole.

Mineral exploration company, Kairos Minerals has wrapped up a 15,000 metre drilling blitz with a bang at its 873,000 ounce Mt York gold project in the Pilbara region of WA. Latest drilling has unveiled new gold lodes in areas with minimal past drilling that have delivered wide and shallow intercepts including 20m at 1.58 grams per tonne gold from just 28m depth.

Superior Resources has wrangled a stampede of significant gold intercepts from 15 RC drill holes returned from the latest round of assays at its Steam Engine prospect in Queensland. Stellar assay results received include a 21m wide hit grading at 2.2 grams per tonne gold from 160m downhole and an 8m intercept that came in at 2.8g/t gold from 154m downhole.