Scott Williamson

Blackstone Minerals has racked up some of its longest nickel sulphide intersections to date across the King Cobra discovery zone at its Ban Phuc disseminated sulphide deposit in Vietnam. Infill and extension drilling included one drill hole that produced a 127.6m intersection going 1.17 per cent nickel, 0.22 per cent copper, 0.02 per cent cobalt and 0.24 g/t PGE.

Aspiring nickel developer, Blackstone Minerals is set to spin out its Australian and US gold assets as it continues to focus the development on its Ta Khoa nickel sulphide operations in Vietnam. The company has flagged the listing of a new vehicle on the Australian Securities Exchange, based on a package of gold assets in the coveted goldfields of Western Australia.

ASX-listed Vietnam base metals player, Blackstone Minerals has taken a significant initial step in its quest to produce downstream nickel, receiving a non-binding letter of interest from global commodity trading giant, Trafigura. Perth-based Blackstone hopes to upscale its proposed downstream refining operation and become a significant global supplier of downstream nickel products for the lithium-ion battery industry.

Blackstone has hit massive sulphide vein mineralisation in multiple drill holes at its King Snake nickel prospect in Vietnam while vectoring in on several high-priority electromagnetic targets, or EM plates, across the company’s developing Ta Khoa Nickel project in Vietnam. Blackstone’s KS20-02 diamond core drill hole tagged 9.4 metres of sulphide mineralisation, including 1.18m of a massive sulphide vein.

Australian-based Blackstone Minerals has graduated to the US-based OTCQX Best Market, the highest market tier of OTC Markets, on the back of its progress in developing a significant “green” nickel business in Asia. The company is currently developing the Ta Khoa nickel sulphide project in northern Vietnam, with recent results from its King Snake discovery continuing to showcase the project.

Blackstone Minerals continues to strike nickel sulphides at the company’s King Snake discovery in Vietnam, with diamond drilling intersecting 19.55 metres of disseminated to massive sulphide mineralisation within the emerging high-grade vein system. This latest interval follows up on a raft of new intercepts from two electromagnetic targets identified below the high-grade discovery, with the sulphide lode appearing to thicken at depth.

Blackstone Minerals has discovered new nickel sulphide mineralisation in the previously untested Taipan Discovery Zone within the Ta Cuong nickel-PGE-copper-cobalt massive sulphide vein prospect. Ta Cuong sits about 6km northwest of Blackstone’s dormant but modern Ban Phuc nickel mine and processing centre in Vietnam. The first diamond hole to test Taipan hit 39.7m of continuous fresh sulphides, including some massive sulphides after 15.5m downhole.

Blackstone Minerals looks to be defining a pair of new, massive sulphide deposits in northern Vietnam, with drilling at both its King Snake and Ban Chang nickel discoveries hitting good numbers. First-pass drill programs over the prospect areas have thrown up a grab bag of solid nickel-copper hits that the company will look to build into its growing resource inventory over the coming months.

Blackstone Minerals is looking to fast-track its development program in Vietnam, establishing separate business units to handle critical components of the evolving pre-feasibility study over the Ta Khoa nickel project. The company’s recent work program has focused on drilling out a wealth of nickel sulphide resources across the project, however Blackstone is now shifting the spotlight back onto a potential move into a production.

Blackstone Minerals continues to return high-grade nickel intercepts from its Ta Khoa project in north Vietnam. The company is drilling out a nest of new sulphide discoveries across the nickel-copper-rich terrane, with exploration at the new Taipan Zone intersecting an impressive 20.4 metres at 1.35 per cent nickel and 0.8 per cent copper from only 27m down-hole.

ASX-listed Blackstone Minerals says results from resource extension drilling at its high-priority King Snake sulphide nickel-copper-PGE target at the Ta Khoa multi-metal project in north Vietnam have continued to enlarge its footprint ahead of down-hole geophysics that will help guide infill drilling. Latest assays include a solid 2.62m at 1.54 per cent nickel, 2.01 per cent copper plus 5.16g/t PGE and cobalt.

ASX-listed Blackstone Minerals has launched a “green” hydrogen study as it continues to look at ways of developing a zero-carbon mining and downstream processing operation at its flagship Ta Khoa nickel-copper-PGE project in Vietnam. In relation to the proposed downstream processing plant, the company intends assessing oxygen production via the electrolysis of water that it says generates green hydrogen as a by-product.

Vietnam-focused Blackstone Minerals has confirmed independent production and verification of a battery-grade nickel-cobalt-manganese 811 sample using nickel from its Ban Phuc project on the eve of delivering a much-awaited pre-feasibility study on nickel refining in northern Vietnam. The ASX-listed company says the precursor sample achieved a purity above 99.7 per cent.

Blackstone Minerals has tabled a pre-feasibility study projecting very strong profits for downstream processing of its nickel concentrate products in Vietnam. The study is based on construction of a refinery close to its developing Ta Khoa operations which will produce a nickel-cobalt-manganese product for use in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and could deliver revenues in excess of $19 billion over an initial 10-year period.

ASX-listed Blackstone Minerals’ board of directors has given the green light to a definitive feasibility study on a proposed downstream processing refinery and a related downstream pilot plant at its flagship Ta Khoa nickel-copper-PGE project in Vietnam. The move comes after the company tabled a “compelling” pre-feasibility study on hydrometallurgical processing of nickel sulphide concentrate to produce a battery-grade nickel-cobalt-manganese for use in lithium-ion batteries.

Blackstone Minerals has tabled a head turning 375 metre nickel sulphide intercept from recent drilling at its Ban Phuc deposit in Vietnam. The company’s ongoing diamond drilling program is designed to upgrade much of the existing resource to the coveted “measured and indicated” status, however exploration now appears to be also extending the ore system at depth.

ASX-listed aspiring Vietnam nickel developer Blackstone Minerals has engaged the Korea Development Bank and corporate adviser BurnVoir Corporate Finance to jointly pull together a debt funding package for the development of its Ta Khoa nickel project about 160 kilometres west of Hanoi. Perth-based Blackstone is currently contemplating a potentially “vertically integrated” upstream and downstream lithium-ion battery metals processing operation at Ta Khoa.

Vietnam nickel hopeful Blackstone Minerals has produced a series of encouraging results from a maiden drilling program targeting the Ban Khoa disseminated nickel sulphide prospect at its Ta Khoa project about 160km west of Hanoi in northern Vietnam. The pick of the initial assays was 147m averaging grades of 0.31 per cent nickel, 0.04 per cent copper, 0.01 per cent cobalt and 0.14 grams per tonne PGEs from 62m depth.

Blackstone Minerals has continued to encounter massive nickel sulphide mineralisation at its Ban Chang prospect at the Ta Khoa project in northern Vietnam about 160km west of the country’s capital city of Hanoi as it heads towards a maiden resource estimate for the key deposit. The company says recent infill diamond drilling at Ban Chang intersected 5.35m of massive sulphide nickel in one hole within a broader 11.4m interval.

Vietnam-focused nickel company, Blackstone Minerals is off to a flyer in a recently launched infill drilling campaign at its King Snake prospect, located at its Ta Khao nickel-copper and PGE project. The new drill campaign has already hit 8.5 metres of sulphides including massive sulphide veins. Assays from previous drilling at the prospect have also delivered multiple nickel, copper, cobalt and PGE hits.

Blackstone Minerals has set in place an agreement for its 90 per cent owned subsidiary, Ban Phuc Nickel Mines to collaborate with the Vietnamese Government to identify new nickel opportunities outside of the company’s current Ta Khoa district tenement. First project for the new partnership will be to advance the highly prospective Chim Van nickel target located just 10km from the company’s Ban Phuc open pit deposit.

Blackstone Minerals has locked in Tier 1 engineering, mineral processing and metallurgical consultants Wood and ALS to perform critical roles in the delivery of a definitive feasibility study at its Ta Khoa nickel refinery in Vietnam. The consultants will aim to provide project management, engineering, cost estimation, execution planning services and hydrometallurgical testing for the Ta Khoa nickel refinery.

ASX-listed, Blackstone Minerals has teamed up with leading supply chain “traceability” provider, Circulor to launch a nickel and cathode precursor traceability system for its Ta Khao nickel operations in Vietnam. The collaboration will empower Blackstone to demonstrate its compliance with environmental, social and governance sustainability metrics, stretching from its mining operations through to the refined final products.

Blackstone Minerals has attracted $55 million in fresh funding, courtesy of a seriously oversubscribed placement to help realise its dreams of establishing an integrated “green” nickel project in Vietnam. The placement was backed by Shaw & Partners, Evolution Capital & PAC Partners, all of whom acted as joint lead managers to the placement.

Blackstone Minerals has secured a strategic investment in Flying Nickel Mining Corporation’s massive 44Mt Minago nickel sulphide project southwest of Thompson in Manitoba, Canada. Blackstone has pumped C$2.98m into Flying Nickel in return for a 6.85 per cent interest in the company. A Memorandum Of Understanding has also been signed with Flying Nickel to collaborate on upstream and downstream processing and opportunities around offtakes.

Blackstone Minerals has intersected copper-nickel-cobalt massive sulphides in its first pass drill hole targeting a large, induced polarisation anomaly at its 100 per cent owned Jewel prospect in British Columbia. Significant copper, nickel and cobalt mineralisation has been confirmed by portable XRF examination of the diamond drill core and follow-up drilling is being planned to target extensions of the mineralisation discovered in the first drill hole.

Blackstone Minerals has recommenced mining at the company’s per cent owned Ta Khoa nickel project in northern Vietnam and has plans to complete around 1,000m of development through the Ban Phuc disseminated orebody. The company is also gearing up to recommission the Ban Phuc nickel concentrator to produce two batches of nickel concentrate for use in the Ta Khoa refinery piloting programs.

ASX-listed, Blackstone Minerals has delivered a cracking 73 per cent lift to its nickel resource base at its multi-deposit Ta Khoa nickel, copper and platinum group elements project in northern Vietnam. A global resource base at the project taking in four deposits now clocks in at a hefty 130 million tonnes grading 0.37 per cent nickel for an eye-catching 485,000 tonnes of contained nickel.

Blackstone Minerals has made a lightning bolt strategic investment in laterite nickel by rolling A$2.75m into NICO Resources’ IPO to gain a 15.11 per cent interest in the battery minerals hopeful that last year picked up Metals X’ massive Central Musgrave Project that spans both WA and South Australia. With a serious nickel metal endowment of some 1.95m tonnes, Blackstone says it is likely one of the largest undeveloped nickel resources globally.

Blackstone Minerals has made a strategic investment in ASX-listed Corazon Mining’s historically significant Lake Lynn nickel-copper-cobalt project northwest of Thompson in Manitoba, Canada. The initial investment of about $2 million will earn Blackstone a 14.32 per cent stake in the exploration and development company. The addition will bolster the company’s upstream supply for its vertically integrated business strategy.

Blackstone Minerals has delivered nickel-cobalt sulphides from its Ban Phuc mine in Vietnam to consultant, ALS in Perth, as part of a trial of its Ta Khoa nickel refinery pilot program. The company has a plan to become a globally significant producer of high purity NCM811 nickel precursor products for the lithium-ion battery industry and it is building an integrated mining, ore processing and downstream refinery business in Vietnam.

Blackstone Minerals has bolstered its engineering horsepower with GR Engineering Services as it heads towards the delivery of a definitive feasibility study into its upstream Ta Khoa Nickel Project. The ASX-listed addition is hailed as a ‘Tier 1’ process engineering, design and construction advisory company and will man the role of Blackstone’s primary consultant.

ASX-listed Blackstone Minerals has landed a new massive sulphide discovery with portable-XRF readings of up to 20 per cent nickel at its Flagship Ta Khoa nickel project in northern Vietnam. Several nickel targets have been identified at the project including massive and semi-massive and net-textured sulphides. The standout results saw a 2.95m intersection of sulphides, with portable XRF readings indicating the presence of up to 20 per cent nickel.

Blackstone Minerals is quickening the pace of development of its Ta Khoa green battery metals processing project in Vietnam by focusing on critical activities, such as a review of key infrastructure and prioritising test work, piloting and approvals as it works towards starting production within three years. The company has recently held strategy meetings with prospective technology and off-take partners and has a definitive feasibility study in the works.

Blackstone Minerals has successfully ticked more boxes during its definitive feasibility phase of the company’s green nickel project in Vietnam. A raft of work has been completed including bench tests, design, procurement, assembly and commissioning of equipment in addition to successfully converting mixed hydroxide precipitate to metal sulphate.

A life cycle assessment of Blackstone Minerals’ proposed upstream and downstream nickel business has confirmed its process of producing nickel-cobalt-manganese precursor products will be one of the greenest pathways to supply the growing lithium-ion battery industry. The study found Blackstone’s flagship Ta Khoa project could produce 1kg of precursor cathode active material at a cost of 9.8kg of carbon dioxide equivalent, substantially lower than the industry average of 16.1kg.

Blackstone Minerals’ recent drilling program at the company’s Gold Bridge gold and nickel-copper project in British Columbia has returned a series of mineralised sulphide hits in Canada’s western-most province. After the successful results, the company is gearing up for more exploration on the country’s eastern coast.

Blackstone Minerals has validated its process for the company’s proposed Ta Khoa nickel refinery project in Vietnam after its metallurgical test work program was successful in producing battery-grade nickel and cobalt sulphates in addition to processing third-party cobalt supply. The findings come from batch test work and commissioning of piloting equipment completed in August as part of a definitive feasibility study into the company’s Ta Khoa nickel project and its namesake refinery.

After a round of infill drilling Blackstone Minerals has confirmed high grades of up to 4.3 per cent nickel, 4.73 per cent copper and 18.2 grams per tonne platinum group elements at the company’s Ta Khoa nickel project in Vietnam. The assays come from the company’s recently completed campaign of resource definition drilling at the project’s King Snake massive sulphide vein deposit.

Blackstone Minerals has hailed the success of its Ta Khoa nickel refinery pilot in Western Australia upon completion of a one-year test to underscore the company’s vertically integrated Vietnamese green nickel ambition.