Public Company News

Barton Gold has landed a major concession by the South Australian government with the Tunkillia gold project being granted “new mine” status. New mine status will reduce the effective royalty rate payable to the government on any gold production from 3.5 per cent to 2 per cent, potentially delivering a multi-million dollar saving to the company and an additional incentive to expedite a move to production.

Australian Bauxite’s 89 per cent-owned chemical refining subsidiary, Alcore has clinched the services of Dr Mark Cooksey as its Chief Executive Officer after he filled the position on a leave arrangement with national science agency, the CSIRO. Australian Bauxite says Dr Cooksey’s appointment is a shot in the arm for Alcore’s efforts to commercialise a new process for aluminium fluoride production.

Aspiring ASX-listed heavy rare earths developer Northern Minerals, has delivered on its pre-Christmas plan with 8,500m of RC drilling at its Browns Range project in WA’s East Kimberley region. The results produced some solid hits including 9m at 0.54 per cent TREO from 53m downhole and 11m at 0.37 per cent TREO from 52m in two separate holes at its greenfield Toad prospect.

Si6 Metals has kicked off an RC drilling program at its Monument gold project about 40km west of Laverton in WA following an encouraging reconnaissance rock chip sampling program. The latter returned several high-grade values including 39.3 g/t gold, 25.8 g/t, 21.3 g/t and 13.15 g/t from the Fred’s Well prospect, and 21.5 g/t, 15.15 g/t, 15.15 g/t and 10 g/t at the Perseverance prospect.

The potential of Legend Mining’s Mawson nickel sulphide discovery in WA’s Fraser Range continues to impress, with ongoing exploration expanding the footprint of the main prospect area and locating a look-a-like target a mere 2km to the south. The scene is set for a bumper year ahead for the company with recent results producing some of Mawson’s best nickel sulphide intercepts to date.

Aspiring nickel developer, Blackstone Minerals is set to spin out its Australian and US gold assets as it continues to focus the development on its Ta Khoa nickel sulphide operations in Vietnam. The company has flagged the listing of a new vehicle on the Australian Securities Exchange, based on a package of gold assets in the coveted goldfields of Western Australia.

Victory Mines has moved to full ownership of its flagship Coogee gold project in WA, with the company issuing of $1 million in shares to the company’s former joint venture partner in the project, mid-tier gold miner Ramelius Resources. The company is already capitalising on its new ownership in the high-grade project and is knee deep in a follow up drilling program across the gold-bearing Coogee Shear.

Venus Metals Corporation has jagged a couple of high-grade gold hits from a round of reconnaissance drilling at the Range View prospect nearby its Bellchambers deposit as part of its historic Sandstone gold project in WA. Notable intersections at Range View were 11m grading 4.69 g/t gold from 12m including 1m at 38.92 g/t from 20m and 5m at 9.03 g/t from 18m.

Venus Metals Corporation has returned a swag of high-grade drill hits from its Youanmi gold project in WA. A relentless drilling campaign over the resurgent project continues to deliver an abundance of gold hits including 12 metres at 6.54 grams per tonne gold from only 28 metres and 2m at 11.81 g/t gold from 53m down-hole at the new the Link discovery.

Set to be one of WA’s next gold miners, Calidus Resources has been buoyed by a clutch of solid RC infill drilling results at its under-construction stand-alone Warrawoona gold mining and processing operation in WA’s East Pilbara region that have exceeded the project’s average ore reserves grade of one gram per tonne gold.

ASX-listed Eclipse Metals has pounced on a unique opportunity in southern Greenland, securing ownership of the Ivittuut cryolite mine and its associated infrastructure. Cryolite is a specialty mineral that is used as a fluxing agent in the production of aluminium, greatly reducing energy consumption through the smelting process, however the deposit also contains a potential treasure trove of accessory minerals.

ASX-listed agribusiness developer, Alterra has tabled a double-digit IRR feasibility study for the 30-year life span of its planned 300-hectare Carpenters Avocado project near Pemberton in the South West region of Western Australia. The company also said construction of a 4.1 gigalitre dam to irrigate the project had commenced with the first 50-hectare planting due this year, subject to funding.