Matt Birney

TNG Limited has submitted the mining plan for its wholly-owned Mount Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project to the Northern Territory Government. The move takes it one step closer towards establishing a pioneering, world-class integrated downstream processing minerals operation that will incorporate the company’s value-adding TIVAN hydrometallurgical circuit at a plant near Darwin. The mine plan addresses several environmental issues, including site rehabilitation activities, once mining operations are completed.

The battle against canine and other cancers by ASX-listed WA biotech company, PharmAust, has received a significant boost after the Australian Government deemed it eligible for further research and development tax rebates worth almost $1.5 million. The rebate relates to PharmAust’s clinical testing and trials of its anti-cancer drug, Monepantel and may even apply to PharmAust’s activities overseas.

Neometals has taken a significant step towards establishing its massive Barrambie, titanium-vanadium project in the Murchison region of WA. The company has strengthened its ties with leading Chinese metallurgical expert IMUMR. The joint venture partners are now looking to establish a hydrometallurgical demonstration plant for the deposit and possibly, a subsequent 50:50 JV production arrangement going forward.

Canning Basin focussed hydrocarbon producer, Buru Energy, has spudded a new oil exploration well known as Miani 1, to the northwest of the company’s Blina oilfield, about 70km east of Derby, in the West Kimberley region of WA. The structure being targeted is well defined by 3D seismic and analogous to similar features in North America that hold major oil and gas accumulations, the company said.

Lithium Australia has achieved its goal of generating a high-quality cathode material suitable for producing lithium-ion batteries, by recycling spent batteries. The company says the cathodes were used to create coin cell batteries with an electrochemical performance that exceeded its expectations. The company is seeking to “close the loop” on the energy-metal cycle, by producing materials suitable for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries from the components of old recycled batteries.

Aurora Labs will receive both ongoing income from operations and funds after the first sale of its unique RMP-1 Beta 3D printer to AdditiveNow, a company that it holds a stake in, alongside asset management and engineering giant, Worley. AdditiveNow is looking to provide 3D printing services to tier-1 energy, chemicals, resources and infrastructure clients and the deal represents a leap into commercialisation for Aurora.

Norwest Energy will dispose of its minority holding in the Jingemia oil production licence to concentrate on its other core assets in the Perth Basin, including the Lockyer Deep and North Erregulla gas prospects that are adjacent to Strike Energy’s exciting new Erregulla-2 gas find. The company is also awaiting 3D seismic data over its Xanadu oil discovery near Dongara, about 50km to the southwest.

Kalia Ltd has received $3m in funding from major supporter, Tygola, to accelerate exploration at its exciting Tore Joint Venture on Bougainville Island, where it has delineated numerous copper-gold porphyry systems from geophysical interpretation for follow-up work. The field programs aim to define and prioritise its maiden drilling targets, with the campaigns expected to kick off next year.

PolarX has unearthed visible sulphides within porphyry-style mineralised vein sets and associated hydrothermal alteration in the first 300 metres of a drill hole at its Mars porphyry copper/gold target in Alaska, USA. Previous surface geochemical sampling at Mars recorded anomalous gold, copper and molybdenum and the company is now eagerly awaiting assays to confirm the tenor of the porphyry-related mineralisation.