Public Company News

ASX-listed Buru Energy has moved to within a whisker of commencing the Currajong 1 exploration oil well in the Canning Basin of WA. A second well, Rafael 1, is set to follow as the company targets 97 million barrels of conventional oil from the two wells. A seismic program aiming to generate additional prospects for future drilling is also on the cards for June.

ASX-listed junior explorer, Okapi Resources expects to start a maiden drilling program at its Enmore gold project about 30km south-east of Armidale in NSW’s New England Fold Belt this week after securing a drill rig. The Perth-based company plans to drill an initial eight-to-10 reverse circulation holes totalling about 1,000m at the project’s key Sunnyside and Bora prospects.

Following successful field trials last year ASX-listed Lithium Australia, through its 90 per cent owned recycling division, Envirostream Australia, has launched into an expanded trial program to test the use of recycled alkaline battery material as fertiliser micronutrient across sites in Western Australia and South Australia. Two products are being evaluated for use in manganese-deficient soils across the four WA sites and one in SA.

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 explorer, Kairos Minerals has launched a significant follow-up reverse circulation drilling campaign at its Mt York gold project about 100km south of Port Hedland in WA’s Pilbara region. The Perth-based company has two rigs going gangbusters at the project’s three main deposits and an array of nearby targets where it plans to complete an initial 150 drill holes for about 20,000m.

New zones of massive to semi-massive nickel-copper sulphides have been picked up in two recently drilled holes at Legend Mining’s Mawson nickel-copper-cobalt prospect in Western Australia’s Fraser Range. The intercepts 200m north and west of previous drilling continue to expand “the 3D footprint of the mineralised intrusive” at the key Rockford project area, according to Legend.

ASX-listed Si6 Metals is set to shift its gold exploration activities at the Monument project in WA’s Laverton gold district into higher gear via commencement of a 125-hole air-core drilling campaign. A scheduled mineral resource update for its Korong and Waihi prospects is also just around the corner. Si6 says new gold anomalies have been defined at Monument and drill-target generation work is set to intensify.

Lithium Australia says it will maintain exposure to a triumvirate of quality exploration projects via a joint venture with Charger Metals, which plans to list on the ASX in July on the back of a $6 million IPO set to open this week. The lithium battery player will also emerge as the major shareholder in the new company post-capital raise.

Fresh from an interim updated mineral resource estimate for its Mt Stirling gold project about 40km north-west of Leonora in WA, Torian Resources continues to rack up multiple shallow, high-grade gold hits that are set to further expand the Mt Stirling deposit. The Perth-based junior explorer says it has only “scratched the surface” at the project, with a wealth of high-priority targets to be followed up.

ASX-bound Barton Gold is set to close the door early on its initial public offering after receiving more than enough subscriptions to fill the $15 million capital raising. The company says the offer gained strong support from both Australian and overseas institutional investors and got a very warm response from the Australian retail sector.

WA gold producer, Ora Banda Mining has returned a clutch of high-grade drill results from the Golden Eagle underground mine, one of a series of satellite gold deposits lined up to feed the company’s Davyhurst gold processing plant about 120km north-west of Kalgoorlie. Stand-out diamond drill intersections were 19m at 5.4 g/t gold including 11.1m at 8.9 g/t, and 5.8m at 15 g/t.

WA focused explorer, Emu NL has identified two new high-grade gold shoots at the Gnows Nest gold project, together with a new gold zone at the adjoining Monte Cristo prospect from recent drilling near Yalgoo in the Murchison. Drilling to follow-up a suite of eye-catching results including 3m going 42.17 grams per tonne gold is now on the cards.