Matt Birney

Lithium Australia’s exciting Lake Johnston project is looking good after a geophysical survey identified multiple new targets that could represent Lithium-bearing pegmatites lurking just below surface. Lake Johnston, 420km east of Perth, shot to prominence with the nearby discovery of the sizeable Earl Grey Lithium deposit.

Sipa Resources have kicked off their 2017 exploration programs in both Uganda and the Paterson region in the north of W.A. The company is a little different to many other exploration hopefuls in so much as both of their projects appear to boast huge mineralized systems and if they can find the source of the mineralization they may well have at least one and maybe two tier 1 projects. 

ASX-listed MGC Pharmaceuticals march towards full commercialisation of its cannabis-based dermatological skin care line is a step closer with the company announcing the start of human clinical trials of its products. The company says it plans to commence sales of its unique derma skin care range that will target acne amongst other things from September.

Pilbara Minerals’ Lithium deposit at Pilgangoora has increased in size yet again after more drilling success and the acquisition of the neighbouring Lynas Find deposit. The Pilgangoora project near Port Hedland is now firmly established as one of the world’s largest hard rock Lithium deposits and is on track to become a globally significant producer this year.

ASX listed Sky and Space Global has successfully completed the assembly of its “3 Diamonds” trial nano-satellites, with the Perth-based company now moving to the final phase of preparations ahead of the launch of its miniature satellite prototypes for its narrow band telco network that will service remote and regional areas and industries such as shipping and aviation. 

Blackham Resources dogged determination to more than double their predicted gold production to 200,000 ounces p/a via a sustained exploration program is attracting the attention of the gold bulls with the company’s stock soaring 75% since the start of 2017. This week Blackham announced another resource upgrade from 6m ounces to 6.4mounces in Wiluna. 

Troy Resources has reported some impressively long mineralised drill intersections from recent, near mine drilling at its Karouni Gold mine in South America . The Perth-based company says it has identified favourable geological domains for gold deposits at its Goldstar, Hicks 4, and Smarts NW prospects with intersections up to 29m long. 

Pilbara Minerals have blazed a trail from exploration to Jorc Resource to feasibility study to the letting of an engineering contract this week in a remarkable text book example of how to make money from mining quickly. This week the company announced they have awarded RCR Tomlinson the $138m contract to build their giant Pilgangoora Lithium mine near Port Hedland. 

Lithium Australia’s share price jumped 28% following the release of test results showing that their unique, low cost Lithium processing technology might actually work. The company was able to produce almost pure battery grade Lithium Carbonate in pilot plant tests in NSW and will now turn its attention to doing the same using ore from Pilbara Minerals' Pilgangoora project. 

The mind bending process of choosing a surfboard to buy for shark conscious surfers is about to get a little easier after iconic surf brand Rusty signed a licensing agreement to include Shark Mitigation System’s proprietary shark deterrent patterns on their Australian and New Zealand surf boards. In a sea of compteing brands Rusty may have gained an edge. 

Lithium Australia announced this week they were adding yet another string to their already diversified bow as the company looks to set up a Lithium recycling business from discarded Lithium-ion batteries. Lithium recycling from batteries is almost non-existent at the moment, presenting a real opportunity for Lithium Australia to carve out a niche. 

Lithium Australia is turning its processing expertise to Lithium clays in Mexico, where it is earning up to 49% of a patch highly prospective ground adjacent to a project that secured a major offtake agreement with Tesla. Metallurgical testing has begun at the company’s Electra project and will run in parallel with a drill program due to get underway next month.

Listed financial technology and ATM machine company Stargroup expects 2017 to be another standout year after amassing a $15m war chest to acquire Indue Ltd’s ATM machine business assets and fund further acquisitions. The company says it is now in a position to explore additional mergers and acquisitions without the need to issue further capital. 

ASX listed medical device company Analytica has released positive findings from new post usage research on the effectiveness of its device for women suffering from urinary incontinence due to pelvic floor muscle disorders.  The research indicates that 70% of sufferers reported an improvement in their condition.

ASX listed Sky and Space Global has added to its existing customer base after entering into a new commercial contract to sell a portion of its nano-satellite bandwidth to African app developer BeepTool. The company says the deal further signals its potential to generate early stage revenue from their first 3 trial nano-satellites, scheduled for launch in 2017.

Northern Minerals have taken another step towards building Australia’s first heavy rare earths mine after they banked another $5.5m in equity funding from China’s Huatai Mining. The latest payment reaffirms the Chinese company’s commitment to Northern Minerals’ proposed Browns Range heavy rare earths pilot plant near Halls Creek in W.A. 

Auroch Minerals have secured even more ground at their exciting Karibib Lithium project in Namibia under an option and joint venture agreement. The deal follows Auroch’s entry to Namibia in November which triggered a surge in the company’s share price and attracted attention from a serious Lithium investment fund. 

Terrain Minerals may have just transformed their Great Western gold project near Leonora into something much more serious after the company reported a number of near surface, excellent gold hits during their latest drilling campaign. Best results include 3m @ 26.6 g/t gold from just 8m down hole, 2m @ 24.4 g/t, 5m @ 6.98 g/t and 2m @ 12.1 g/t gold. 

Medical marijuana company MGC Pharma has been given the tick of approval to sell its brand new cannabis-based dermatological skincare range in the European Union. MGC sees the green light from the European Cosmetics Products Notifications Portal as a major step forward for its new skin care range that will treat acne, psoriasis and seborrhoea.

Blackham Resources have found even more gold in the historic Wiluna gold field and are now firming up plans for two large scale open pits to feed their newly recommissioned mill. The Perth-based gold producer revealed the open pit expansion plans this week after announcing yet more exceptional drill hits from last year’s major drill program.

Stargroup look set to make that elusive transition from money gobbling, fast growing start-up, to a fully franked dividend paying stock that will at least cover an investor’s interest bill. The company looks like paying a maiden dividend this financial year that will represent a 6.67% return to an investor at the current share price after posting its 11th record quarter.

ASX-listed MGC Pharmaceuticals says it is on schedule to commence production of research grade cannabis by mid-2017 after harvesting its first crop at its Slovenian facilities. In a strong finish to 2016, the company has also confirmed the execution of its deal to acquire Czech-based medical cannabis company Panax Pharma on more favourable terms.

Lithium Australia’s Sileach process has successfully passed its first trial using Lithium ore from Pilbara Minerals’ giant Pilgangoora project near Port Hedland. The positive results are the first step towards a potential Sileach plant being built at Pilgangoora that could add millions of dollars in value to the project by way of reduced processing costs. 

Medical device company Analytica has received a $1.2 million boost from the Australian Government as the company develops its breakthrough treatment for women suffering from incontinence due to pelvic floor muscle disorders.  The incentive is aimed at companies like Analytica that are researching and developing innovative new products

There’s nothing like the hint of a good conductor to get the base metal bulls hoofing at the dirt and Legend Mining haven’t disappointed in that regard. The company announced this week they had identified a number of conductors, which followed the identification last month of the right rocks for a Nova/Bollinger style deposit at their Rockford project.

The clean energy boom has opened up opportunities for Aussie Lithium and Graphite explorers. Now you can add the heavy rare earth “Dysprosium” to that list. Northern Minerals is quickly carving out a dominant position in that market place and this week finalized a $60m engineering contract with Chinese giant Sinosteel MECC that will allow $12m to be deferred.

Lithium Australia and Pilbara Minerals are trialing a breakthrough Lithium processing technology on concentrates from Pilbara’s Lithium deposit at Pilgangoora. The marriage between one of the world’s largest Lithium deposit owners and a game-changing processing technology has the potential to turn great swathes of uneconomic tonnes into economic tonnes at Pilgangoora. 

In a move that is likely to ramp up its production and research capabilities, MGC Pharmaceuticals has signed a new, renegotiated, binding heads of agreement to acquire Czech-based medical cannabis company Panax Pharma. Under the deal, the Perth-based company will gain access to world-leading facilities in the Czech Republic for its medical cannabis research.

Hammer Metals’ success at the Millennium project that was aquired for a song has opened the door to another acquisition that looks to be equally well priced in Mt Isa. The company announced this week an agreement with Chinalco Yunnan Copper Resources to acquire highly prospective tenements in the Mt Isa district for the issue of 1.5m Hammer shares, which closed at 3.9c on Wednesday.

Mineral explorers often stumble over approvals when it comes to getting into development. Pilbara Minerals however are showing how it’s done with news of several key approvals, including an all-important Native Title agreement this week for their giant Pilgangoora Lithium mine. Project permiting is expected in Q1 2017 with first ore shipped by July 2017.

Blackham Resources have discovered another $1.4b worth of in-ground gold at the Matilda Gold Project in Wiluna since June. Whilst no where near all of this amount will drop to the bottom line, it’s still a staggering statement to make about a company that is still only capped at around $150m. The project has jumped from 5.1m ounces to 6m ounces in six months. 

ASX listed financial payments player Stargroup’s extraordinary run of revenue growth has continued, with the company delivering its 12th consecutive quarter of record revenue after just two of the three months in the December quarter. The company posted a 299% revenue increase compared to the same time last year with the increase led by the ATM division.