Public Company News

Coda Minerals has stepped up exploration at its Emmie Bluff IOCG discovery in South Australia, with drilling now underway to further test the mineral-rich body, located 450 kilometres north-west of Adelaide. The company has now kicked off drilling of a series of daughter holes that splay off the original diamond drill hole to test the mineralisation at various levels within the stratigraphy.

ASX-listed Blackstone Minerals has launched a “green” hydrogen study as it continues to look at ways of developing a zero-carbon mining and downstream processing operation at its flagship Ta Khoa nickel-copper-PGE project in Vietnam. In relation to the proposed downstream processing plant, the company intends assessing oxygen production via the electrolysis of water that it says generates green hydrogen as a by-product.

ASX-listed mining technology company K2fly has turned in its first $1 million invoicing month and maiden $2 million quarter as industry demand for vital environmental, social and governance decision-making information continues to climb. A new sales deal with a US-based geospatial data specialist is expected to add to the Australian company’s prospects in a key growth market.

Hot Chili has launched feasibility over the company’s immense Costa Fuego copper-gold project in northern Chile, appointing expert engineers Wood to oversee a PFS over the greater Costa Fuego project area. The study will use the 2016 Productora pre-feasibility study to expedite a larger PFS over the project, which hosts more than 724 million tonnes in copper and gold resources.

ASX-listed explorer Oar Resources has landed an exploration licence at its Crown PGE-nickel-copper prospect just 9km west of Chalice Mining’s celebrated Julimar discovery in Western Australia. Initial reconnaissance works to verify 20 identified targets are now on the cards in preparation for a maiden drilling campaign planned for the second half of the year.

ASX-listed Oar Resources has laid the foundation for drilling programs on three fronts following a $2.3m placement. Funds will be used to advance the Crown PGE-nickel-copper project west of Chalice Mining’s renowned Julimar discovery in Western Australia, launch a maiden gold drilling program at Douglas Canyon in Nevada, and continue work at the emerging Gibraltar kaolin-halloysite project in South Australia.

Buru Energy is set to kick off its 2021 oil exploration program in the Canning Basin in the north of Western Australia where it is targeting 97 million barrels of conventional oil from back-to-back wells. A rig has been mobilised at Buru’s first Currajong 1 well with a second well, Rafael 1, to follow. A seismic survey to define new targets is also on the cards.

ASX-listed WA manganese producer Element 25 has dispatched the first shipment of manganese concentrate from its new Butcherbird open-pit mining and beneficiation operation about 130km south of Newman in WA’s southern Pilbara region. The Perth-based company says Pilbara-based AK Evans Group last week kicked off ore haulage from Butcherbird to Utah Point in Port Hedland in readiness for loading and export.

King River has its sights on a free cash deluge from its proposed $204 million investment in a cutting-edge high-purity alumina manufacturing plant at Kwinana, south of Perth, after tabling a stunning set of numbers in its recently completed project pre-feasibility study. The plant is expected to deliver more than $190 million per annum in free cash flow over an initial 25-year operation.

Horizon Minerals has reported a host of encouraging intersections from a follow-up RC drilling program at three prospects within its Binduli gold project 12km west of Kalgoorlie. The pick of the drill hits came from the Honeyeater prospect, which returned 4m at 11.45 g/t gold from 113m including 1m at 32.4 g/t and 4m at 5.15 g/t from 93m including 1m at 13.54 g/t.

Hot Chili has dished up a bumper-grade 144m intercept at 1 per cent copper-equivalent as it looks to grow the resource at the Cortadera deposit within its broader Costa Fuego copper hub in northern Chile. The company is eyeing a pre-feasibility study to fast-track Costa Fuego to production with the high-grade core at Cortadera to play a key part.

Wiluna Mining Corporation has wrapped up its US$42 million term loan from commodity trader Mercuria and says stage one sulphide gold expansion to more than 120,000 ounces per annum and feasibility study work on its next phase of growth are now fully funded. The FS on lifting annual output at Wiluna in WA past 240,000 ounces is expected to be completed this year.