Matt Birney

New assays have confirmed Nzuri Copper’s high hopes for a cobalt-rich zone just 800m along strike from its proposed Kalongwe copper project. Resource drilling is already being planned with expectations of a JORC resource in the near term. Drilling at Monwezi II just 2.5km along strike has also produced some very encouraging signs of copper and cobalt, including massive sulphides.

Kopore Metals has announced that a regional soils program at its KM1 EM anomaly has produced two impressive copper-lead-zinc targets in geologically and structurally favourable locations at the Ghanzi West prospect area in Botswana. The coherent anomalies are identified over a12 square kilometre area, coinciding with airborne and ground EM geophysical anomalies. The company considers the new anomalies to be high value drilling targets.

Australian Potash’s Yamarna gold project could host a northern extension of Gold Road Resources’ high grade gold targets to the south. This includes an anomaly similar in scale to Gold Road’s Ibanez prospect. The company is now finalising a second stage drill program that will include reverse circulation drilling to test the depth and primary mineralised structures.

Geopacific has initiated a major exploration program at its Woodlark gold project in PNG. The company recently raised $10m and will channel the funds towards increasing its mineral resource inventory with a view to extending the proposed mine life beyond 10 years. Drilling will focus on under-explored, high grade structural corridors and historical targets between and adjacent to the large Kulumadau and Busai gold deposits.

Legend Mining has unearthed a third nickel-copper mineralised intrusive of magmatic sulphides within a host rock similar to the famed Nova-Bollinger deposit, at its Rockford project in the Fraser Range. The new result of 37m @ 0.25% nickel and 0.03% copper from 78m depth, was substantiated by rock petrology identifying nickel sulphides in a highly prospective olivine rich gabbronorite rock mass.

Calidus Resources has achieved success in a major resource drill out at its Warrawoona gold project in the Pilbara. Results of up to 10m @ 3.84g/t gold from 27m down-hole at the Coronation prospect have confirmed a strike length of about 250 metres for the prospect. The company also reported it had extended the Klondyke mineralisation another 150m down-plunge with strategic deep diamond drilling.

Capricorn Metals expects to secure financing for its Karlawinda gold project in the Pilbara in the September quarter after optimisation work increased the project net present value from $144m to $243m. Other improvements include an IRR of 36% from 31%, payback in just 2.5 years instead of 3 years, a 10% reduction in capital costs to $132m and a 2 year increase in mine life to 8.5 years.

Aquabotix will have the opportunity to bid on research and development projects after joining the Innovative Undersea Prototype Development Consortium. The Consortium supports a US Navy program that seeks to address the endurance and data transmission challenges faced by unmanned underwater vehicles.

St George Mining has announced 4 new drill ready electromagnetic conductor targets at its Investigators prospect, 100km west of Leonora in the northern Goldfields of W.A. The best target is interpreted to be 120m down-plunge of an intersection of 5.3 metres grading 4.95% nickel, 2.75% copper, 0.16% cobalt and 4.55 grams per tonne total PGE’s from 157.9m down-hole.

Sky and Space Global, has signed a deal with China’s Beijing Commsat Technology Development Co. that provides a fast entry into China’s burgeoning “internet of things” market for the Perth listed upstart telco. The parties will explore how Sky and Space’s nano-satellite technology can be incorporated and used to advance and enhance the current network offering from Commsat Technology.

Hammer Metals has made its best ever intercept of 41 metres @ 0.18% cobalt, 0.11g/t gold and 0.23% copper from 14m down-hole representing the true width of the mineralisation at the Millennium project near Cloncurry in QLD. Drill results will now be reviewed before carrying out further exploration on the higher grade southern portion of the resource ahead of preliminary metallurgical studies.

Aspire Mining’s proposed railway line in Mongolia is firming up as the Russian and Chinese Government’s recognize the strategic value of Mongolia as a transport hub. Aspire is now evaluating a dual transportation option for its Mongolian coking coal after Russia and Mongolia signed off on a long-awaited agreement for transporting goods. Under the deal, coal exports will receive a 66% discount on the Russian rail system.

Altech Chemicals has potentially overcome some CAPEX hurdles for the construction and development of its HPA plant in Malaysia, executing a non-binding stream financing term sheet with a US-based global investment group for USD$60m. With USD$190m already committed by the German Government-owned KfW IPEX-Bank and a term sheet for mezzanine debt from a global merchant bank for USD$90m, it is unlikely that Altech will need to raise much equity to kick -off project.

Coolgardie Minerals will look to create an early cash machine from the Bullabulling Gold Project near Coolgardie to fund its exploration program on a number of other exciting prospects that it will take to IPO in July. The Neil Warburton-chaired company is targeting the Bullabulling shear zone that already hosts millions of ounces in the region.

Algae.Tec expects its Uruguayan partner Auberna to harvest the first crop of cannabis soon with up to 50kg of high-grade cannabidiol resin and powder to be delivered in the September quarter. The product is expected to sell for up to US40,000 per kg and the company is working with a range of wholesalers to arrange supply agreements for it.

Auroch Minerals has initiated a ground induced polarisation survey at its Bonaventura base metals project, on Kangaroo Island in S.A. that has been throwing up a number of enticing rock chip samples. Three priority aeromagnetic anomalies will be surveyed after a review of historical drilling and results. The survey will be used to plan the company’s highly anticipated maiden drilling program for Bonaventura.

DroneShield has won a $3.2m order for 70 of its drone disabling DroneGuns from a Western allied Middle Eastern Ministry of Defence that has one of the largest defence budgets in the world. This is the company’s largest order to date and serves to not only validate its products but also may lead to further orders.

Metalicity’s battery metals ambitions have received a boost with the return of some tantalising results from an innovative geochemical survey just 35kms along strike from the giant Greenbushes lithium mine. A first-pass sampling program has defined two large target areas that could host pegmatites under a lateritic cover with the company planning immediate follow up with an infill survey.

Emu NL has discovered a major, highly mineralised, epithermal gold system at its Vidalita prospect in the lucrative Maricunga precious metals belt in Chile. Three separate mineralised zones elevated in gold, silver and base metals were identified from drilling. Notable intersections included 26m @ 0.32g/t gold from 181m down-hole, 10m @ 0.33g/t gold from 217m and 6m @ 93g/t silver from 253m down-hole.

Lithium Australia will file two additional patents that will reduce capital and operating costs for its SiLeach lithium recovery process by removing the need for extensive evaporation. The move is a result of its ongoing partnership with ANSTO Minerals and will further refine the company’s commercialisation plans that include development of a large scale pilot plant.

Fresh from its technical successes in the Cooper Basin, Strike Energy has put its technical skills to work again to reveal a stunning analogue of the coveted Waitsia gas field in the North Perth Basin. Strike reported that detailed technical studies at its newly acquired West Erregulla project, just 16kms southeast of Waitsia, shows a potential gas resource of up to 1.24 trillion cubic feet.

Tech play Vonex has the big telco’s in its sights as it seeks to pinch market share from them courtesy of the disruption caused to the market by the roll out of the NBN. The company listed on the ASX yesterday after completing a $6m IPO and will now seek to gain greater market penetration for its cloud based PABX and related services.

Aquabotix will have the opportunity to demonstrate its SwarmDiver underwater drones to the US Navy under a research and development deal with the United States Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The agreement gives the company access to the Narragansett Bay military test facility – including its ranges and personnel - to test and demonstrate its swarming drones.

Spectrum Rare Earths has reported a slew of eye-popping, high grade gold results from historical drilling at its Washington gold project in northern California. Mineralisation occurs within a swag of criss-crossing quartz veins, usually over widths of about 2 metres at the mine. The company also identified 3 priority target areas for further drilling during its technical due diligence for the decommissioned gold operation.

BlackEarth Minerals is expanding its resource drilling program at the Razafy prospect of its 100%-owned Maniry graphite project in Madagascar after rock chip samples of up to 20% TGC confirmed a strike extension to the northeast. Rock chip samples of up to 11.9% TGC have also added a further priority target for immediate exploration drilling at the Razafy East prospect.

With its Mt Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project in the NT in the final stages of development planning, TNG has signed a deal with the owner of a similar looking resource in the Pilbara that could add value for both parties. TNG will team up with Todd Corporation’s BBI Group to provide its processing technology at the Balla Balla resource on the Pilbara coast.

UltraCharge has formed a joint venture with Indonesia’s PT Garda Persada for the manufacturing and sale of its high powered lithium-ion battery pouch cells in Indonesia and the ASEAN region. Pt Garda will secure firm orders for US$5m worth of batteries from its military clients whilst Ultracharge will invest US$3m to build a new production facility in Jakarta.

Blackham Resources is poised to extend the mine life of its Golden Age underground mine after making further high grade intercepts of up to 6.9m at 15.5 g/t gold below current mining areas. The results also highlight the potential to increase the mining rate through early access via the nearby Calais Decline.

Galena Mining has intersected copper-lead sulphide mineralisation in a deep exploration drilling program at its Woodlands geological complex, 200km north of Meekatharra in W.A. The company targeted two highly conductive geophysical electromagnetic targets that coincide with anomalous copper and lead assays from historical drilling.

ASX-listed MGC Pharmaceuticals’ bold foray into the global cosmetics market has hit another notable milestone, with luxury UK retailer Harvey Nichols announcing it will stock the company’s MGC Derma and Derma Plus skin care lines. MGC says the iconic British retailer will carry the Perth-listed company’s premium range of 18 products containing cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

Lithium Australia is acquiring full ownership of the Sadisdorf deposit in Germany for €2m in cash and scrip from JV partner Tin International. Recent drilling returned an intercept of 32.2m at 0.52% lithium oxide. The company will accelerate development plans with a scoping study expected to be completed in October 2018 while other key studies are also being carried out.

Sky and Space Global has signed a deal with a leading aviation solutions and service provider to explore applications of its miniature-satellite based network in commercial aviation services. The company says the Memorandum of Understanding with Israel-based International Air Traffic Automation Systems further validates its business model and its disruptive impact on the telco market.