Announcements

Poseidon Nickel has given Lithium Australia access to a major processing plant at Lake Johnston and accelerated its push into Lithium processing with Lithium Australia's breakthrough Sileach technology. Under an MOU signed this week, the companies will look to jointly explore their tenements and evaluate processing opportunities using technology belonging to both companies.

Newly listed Calima Energy has boosted its acreage in the liquids-rich Montney oil and gas basin in Canada by 27% or 13,700 acres, establishing it is a significant new player in one of Canada’s hottest oil and gas regions. The additional acreage is immediately adjacent to Calima’s existing ground and was the result of some fortuitous bidding at a recent Government auction.

The deal-making skill that helped make Neometals become the first of a new breed of Australian Lithium producers has come to the fore once again. The ASX-listed company has landed a Serbian steel mill as its first licensed customer for the company’s “Neomet” mineral processing technology. The agreement will see Neometals use the deal as a showcase for a planned rollout of the technology worldwide

ASX-listed biotech PharmAust has been granted a core patent in Europe relating to the use of “aminoacetonitrile derivatives” as potent kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. The patent is another positive step for Perth-based company in shoring up its global IP protections. It follows the granting of similar patents in key markets including the US, Australia and China.

Connected IO has unveiled a range of cutting-edge WiFi routers targeted at the multi-trillion dollar "Internet of Things" sector with applications that include digital signage, point of sale, vending machines and security. The ASX junior said despite only launching its new range this week, it had already received significant early demand for the new devices which are targeted at large, enterprise level customers

Fresh from success at the giant Mt Marion Lithium project, Neometals have turned their attention to their other sleeping giant, the world-class Barrambie Titanium-Vanadium project near Cue in W.A. With the Titanium price jumping by 50% recently, Chinese Titanium producers are screaming for feedstock, creating a potential opportunity for Neometals to cash in via a direct shipping operation.

With Stage 1 of the giant Pilgangoora Lithium mine racing ahead, Pilbara Minerals has stepped up work on expansion plans that could make the project the world’s largest Lithium mine. The ASX-listed Lithium developer yesterday announced it had awarded further key contracts, including power generation and was reworking its expansion plans to boost Stage 2 capacity from 4Mtpa to 5Mtpa.

Connected IO’s relationship with US telco giant Verizon continues to deepen, with the ASX-listed tech company locking in another customer referred from Verizon. In-vehicle video system supplier Rosco Vision Systems has committed to integrating Connected IO’s cellular and cloud based device management solutions into its in-vehicle technology used in emergency vehicles, buses, taxis and fleet vehicles.

Calima Energy’s neighbour in Canada’s prolific Montney oil and gas basin has added fuel to the buzz around newly listed Calima by disclosing it expects an internal rate of return of up to 80% on its liquids-rich wells right next door to the ASX junior’s acreage. The news comes as Calima moves to commission a 3D seismic survey and acquire a rich database of wells in the region

Pilbara Minerals are on the verge of cash flow from the massive Pilgangoora Lithium mine after awarding a contract to MACA to commence mining. Lithium prices have soared since Pilbara predicted the mine would make $121m a year and possibly up to $245m a year if they can expand mine throughput from 2mt a year to 4mt a year. The project boasts 156m tonnes grading 1.25% Lithium Oxide.

Peppermint Innovation has inked a deal with a leading Philippines distribution network, paving the way for the possible roll out of the Perth-based company’s mobile payments technology to around 200,000 members. Network members will be able to accept money from their own networks of people who wish to pay their household bills, transfer money to others or even load up some mobile phone air time.

Sky and Space Global have hit a critical milestone in their efforts to revolutionise the telecommunications industry by becoming the first-ever company to facilitate a voice call based on disruptive nano-satellite technology. The landmark achievement now allows Sky and Space to progress the rollout out of their 200 strong, full nano-satellite constellation and rush headlong into commercialisation.

A drilling blitz by Calidus Resources in the so-called Gap Zone at the Warrawoona gold project near Marble Bar has produced a lovely set of numbers for the rapidly developing gold explorer. Calidus now have a 2.6km gold mineralized system on their hands in the East Pilbara that is still open at depth and along strike in both directions. Recent hits include 17m @ 2.54 g/t, 8m @ 4.68 g/t and 9m @ 2.67 g/t.

ASX-listed Nzuri Copper have carved out an enviable position alongside Robert Friedland’s Ivanhoe Mines and their world-beating copper discovery in the Congo. The ASX listed junior is racing towards a development decision for its own Copper-Cobalt project discovered just 15km from Friedman’s miraculous 1 billion tonne copper deposit. Nzuri are also farming into Ivanhoe's ground in a JV partnership.

Auroch Minerals high-impact, deep-drilling exploration program in Portugal for giant copper-zinc deposits has hit encouraging rocks on the way to its target depth of more than 1,000 metres. The aggressive junior explorer reported it had hit sulphidic, highly deformed sediments, which are characteristic of the rocks hosting the “supergiant” Neves Corvo deposit just 20 kms along strike.

Perth-listed biotech PharmAust has signed a deal with a leading Japanese chemical company that will give the ASX listed company rights to a library of 50 patents over promising anti-cancer agents. The new patents will complement the development of PharmAust’s main anti-cancer drug Monepantel, which has already shown positive results in fighting cancer.

Perth-based tech company Peppermint Innovation have gained a key strategic partner after making an equity placement for $1 million at $0.02 a share. The 2c placement, which was done at double the last traded price for Peppermint shares, caused the company’s stock to jump by up to 60% yesterday, touching 1.6c a share before settling back to 1.4c.

ASX-listed Stargroup have signed a deal with blockchain technology company DigitalX to develop ATM machines that can exchange bitcoins for cash and enable cryptocurrencies to be added to digital wallets. Under the agreement Stargroup will lean on its relationship with Korean ATM manufacturer NeoICP to develop a two-way ATM solution for Bitcoin, the leading form of crypto-currency worldwide.

Hammer Metals have opened up yet another new exploration front at their Mt Isa project, with a high grade gold hit at the Kalman West prospect. The ASX listed explorer reported a one metre intercept at 36.9 g/t gold and scored hits from both of the first two holes. Highly encouraging results have also come from drilling at the Revenue prospect, with gold again the main prize.

Perth oil and gas explorer Calima Energy pulled off a seriously successful back-door listing last week amid a red hot market for its new core asset in Canada’s revered “Montney” oil and gas basin. The stock ran from a theoretical relisting price of 3.3c to a high of 5.9c last week before settling back to 5.3c at weeks end. Their ground in Canada is considered to be highly prospective for oil and gas.

Northern Minerals have found an innovative source of advance funding for their $56 million Browns Range pilot project, signing an R&D loan facility to provide up to US$30 million for the project. The new facility will accelerate the flow of R&D tax rebates, which will pile up as the company pioneers Australia’s first heavy rare earths project and works towards a planned full-scale development.

With the electric car market about to hit the stratosphere, a resurgence of interest in wind and solar energy and the phenomenal acceptance of the Lithium powered Iphone, W.A is in the box seat when it comes to Lithium driven business opportunities. The challenge for WA’s mining glitterati is to also harness the downstream processing opportunities that arise from Lithium in addition to just mining and shipping it.

In a sign that employers are becoming increasingly wary about truth stretching job seekers, CVCheck has lifted full-year revenues by 47% to $10.43 million on the back of a growing corporate customer base. $5m in costs were stripped out of the business this year underpinning the technology company’s stated goal of breaking even in the first half of FY18.

Blackham Resources’ planned expansion of the Matilda gold mine to more than 200,000 ounces a year will see the mine churn out an annual EBITDA of more than $118m a year or 36c a share for a stock that can be bought on market today for just 28.5c a share. Blackham are predicting that the expanded mine will produce free cash of $571m or $1.74 a share assuming the $114m capex can be debt funded.

ASX-listed Shark Mitigation Systems has launched its breakthrough anti-shark technology known as “SAMS” directly into the US water sports market, rolling it out to more than 200 US surf stores. SAMS are a series of proprietary stripes that can be attached to marine apparel for the purposes of deterring a shark or camouflaging the wearer.

New assays have backed Auroch Minerals’ hunch that an ancient European Copper mine could be rich in Cobalt with expectations around the upcoming drilling program now elevated. Assays from a second round of samples from waste dumps at the Tisova mine in the Czech Republic have produced economic grades of Cobalt, Copper, Gold and Silver, including a best result of 0.69% Cobalt.

ASX listed Sky & Space Global have progressed the commercialisation of their game changing telecommunications “nano-satellites” by signing their first binding commercial contract with a wholesale customer, Sat-Space Africa. The contract provides confidence in Sky and Space’s nano-satellites and their technical capability as the company works to roll out up to 200 of the miniature orbital devices by 2020.

ASX-listed Stargroup has upwardly re-valued its legacy investment in part owned ATM machine manufacturer and supplier NeoICP after the Korean company posted a robust set of full year accounts. Stargroup has an 11.28% legacy stake in the privately owned NeoICP, which delivered revenues of AUD$23.7 million for the twelve months to June and an EBITDA of AUD$2.1m

Sky and Space Global’s game-changing “nano satellites” have successfully passed orbital testing, keeping the Perth-listed wanna-be telco on track to commence commercial revenue generation. With the orbital testing phase completed, Sky and Space’s miniature satellites will now undergo a battery of commercial testing including the facilitation of phone calls, instant messaging and data transfers.

ASX listed "internet of things" player Connected IO continues to strengthen its relationship with Verizon, with the Perth-listed company receiving its biggest ever purchase order from one of the giant US telco’s preferred distributors, Mach Networks. Management said it received the order from the machine-to-machine solutions provider for 3,000 of its modem like units, worth over $700,000.

Hammer Metals is once again punching above its weight by securing a joint venture with Glencore to explore for high-grade copper-gold adjacent to the old Mary Kathleen uranium mine in Queensland. It is Hammer’s second joint venture with a global mining heavyweight, following a deal with Newmont in late 2015 to explore for base metals elsewhere in the Mt Isa district.

The cleantech boom is taking off in Europe, led by the region’s eco-conscious citizens and indomitable car makers. Perfectly positioned is ASX-listed Auroch Minerals, which appears to have found a Cobalt treasure trove in Europe’s industrial heart. Drilling is about get underway at the historic Tisova copper mine in the Czech Republic, which was never explored for Cobalt but appears to have plenty of it.