Matt Birney

King River Resources has flagged the potential to further reduce the estimated capital cost of its giant Speewah vanadium/titanium/iron project in WA’s Kimberley region by USD$152m to USD$524m. According to a recommendation by Perth-based engineering firm, Como Engineers, the cost reduction could be achieved by reducing the planned start-up mining rate to correspond with a more standard-sized acid plant installation.

Horizon Minerals has firmed up confidence in the Crake prospect within its Binduli gold project near Kalgoorlie after drilling returned a top intersection of 3 metres grading 7.41 grams per tonne gold from 81m down-hole. The results demonstrate both width and grade continuity across a 450m strike length with the company saying that mineralisation remains open in all directions.

ClearVue Technologies is jumping on the growing micro-home bandwagon with the signing of a collaboration agreement with Swedish developer Attefallshus AB. Under the agreement, Attefallshus will integrate ClearVue’s proprietary solar glass window technology into its micro-homes and other construction projects where appropriate, exclusively in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Lithium Australia has now extended the strike of lithium-bearing pegmatites at its Youanmi project near Sandstone in WA’s Murchison region to over 2,500 metres after its recent drill campaign returned more lithium hits. The results include a top hit of 1 metre grading 4.1% lithium oxide from 23m down-hole within a broader intercept of 6m @ 1.6% lithium oxide from 22m.

TNG Limited has flagged the potential to reduce mining costs and costs associated with waste haulage of tailings at its flagship Mount Peake vanadium-titanium-iron mine in the Northern Territory. The company said this could be achieved by focussing on two higher grade vanadium pits during the first 10 years of operation, which will lower ore mining and processing rates without affecting production.

Clutching an armoury of excellent previous gold drilling results, Classic Minerals is now well and truly blooded and up for the hunt at Kat Gap near Southern Cross. The ASX minnow has kicked off a new drilling campaign aimed at testing down-dip projections of high-grade mineralisation it previously intersected with drilling to focus on the 400 metres of strike to a depth of about 100m, double the average depth of previous holes.

Hammer Metals is gearing up to kick off its maiden drill program at the Bronzewing South gold project in Western Australia over several targets that are located immediately south and along strike of Echo Resources’ 4 million ounce Bronzewing mine. A recent survey over these targets identified conductive zones that are in most cases spatially associated with areas of higher gold accumulation anomalies in historical drilling.

AVZ Minerals has improved on initial metallurgical test work at its giant Manono project in Africa with the production of a lithium concentrate grading 6.6% with recoveries of 70.4% from ores crushed to a finer size than in previous tests. The company has also updated President Tshisekedi Tshilombo from the Democratic Republic of Congo and senior government officials on the progress being made at the project.

Altech Chemicals is proceeding with its German equity strategy to sell up to a 49% stake in its high purity alumina, or “HPA” project for USD$100 million to Frankfurt Stock Exchange-listed company, Youbisheng Green Paper. Altech is also acquiring a 29% stake in Youbisheng, which will change its name to Altech Advanced Materials and seek to raise up to €70 million in new equity to fund the acquisition.