Public Company News

Budding critical materials producer ChemX Materials is set to kick off construction of its high-purity alumina (HPA) pilot plant in Perth’s southern suburbs in Western Australia. Tweaks to the process flow and plant design have slashed infrastructure costs from $2.5 million down to $600,000 for a refined plant capacity of 24 tonnes per annum of HPA destined for the lithium-ion battery market.

Cell therapy cancer-fighter Chimeric Therapeutics is wasting no time on its mission to commercialise its novel potential treatment for glioblastoma. The ASX-listed company was given approval in April for a phase-1B clinical trial of the treatment, which employs the venom of the deathstalker scorpion. The first of multiple sites to enrol patients in the trial has now been revealed in the United States.

Askari Metals has hit several 100m-wide pegmatites with multiple zones of lithium-bearing minerals in phase-two reverse-circulation (RC) drilling at its Uis lithium project in Namibia. While assay results are pending, the company isn’t slowing its exploration efforts, with its next round of drilling – including the project’s first diamond drill holes – slated to begin in just weeks.

Brightstar Resources has kicked off a scoping study on the combined assets at its Menzies and Laverton gold projects in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields, with mining set to begin at the former as soon as next quarter. The company is moving towards becoming WA’s next gold producer after completing its successful merger with Kingwest Resources last month.

Surefire Resources is tallying up the hits from its latest drilling probe at its promising Yidby project in Western Australia’s Murchison goldfields. Early composite assay results returned 4m averaging 5.5g/t gold from 118m, housing a 1m intercept tipping the scales at an impressive 20.81g/t. The gold mineralised envelope has been etched out over a whopping 3km strike length … with no end in sight.

ASX-listed Reach Resources has recorded impressive results from surface samples at its Wabli Creek project in Western Australia’s Gascoyne region, including 14.3 per cent niobium oxide and 6.7 per cent tantalum oxide. The company says the type of mineralisation at the site is rare and presents a unique exploration opportunity. It’s share price doubled on the back of the news.

Galan Lithium is adding the final touches to an optimised two-phase definitive feasibility study at its one of its two lithium brines projects in Argentina. The company is also considering its third and fourth phases that will ramp up production to as much as 60 kilotonnes per annum of lithium chloride concentrate equivalent in the South American region known as the “Lithium Triangle”.

Askari Metals is continuing to accelerate its lithium exploration efforts in Namibia with the appointment of seasoned African specialist, Cliff Fitzhenry to the new role of Chief Exploration and Project Manager (Africa). A veteran geologist, Mr Fitzhenry will lead in-country exploration with a diamond drill program due to commence shortly at the company’s flagship Uis project which has revealed multiple lithium bearing pegmatites more than 100m wide.

ASX-listed Neometals’ joint venture (JV) with Primobius is a step closer to bridging the lithium-ion battery circular economy. Improvements to the partnership’s refining process in its patent-pending battery recycling technology have increased metal recoveries to more than 95 per cent of nickel, cobalt and copper – far exceeding the recovery requirements in the European Union’s pending battery regulations.

Infinity Mining will ramp up drilling at the most prospective targets across five of its projects in Western Australia’s Central Goldfields after results from a recent 37-hole reverse-circulation (RC) program returned grades of up to 21.86 grams per tonne of gold. The company is now planning its follow-up drilling campaign for late this year or early next year.

Horizon Minerals is charging towards a resource estimate upgrade after completing an eight-hole drill program at its Penny’s Find gold mine, 50km north-east of Kalgoorlie. Results show its high-grade lode is open at depth, with intercepts including 3.2m at 4.19g/t gold from 318.3m, 1m grading 7.49g/t from 363.9m and 0.78m going 12.85g/t gold from 331.48m. Underground mining is planned.

Geochemical sampling has confirmed massive nickel-sulphides at ASX-listed Toro Energy’s Jumping Jack discovery, which is part of its wholly-owned Dusty nickel project in Western Australia’s northern Goldfields. Toro’s 10,000m drilling program has continued this year at Dusty, which now boasts four massive nickel-sulphides discoveries and sits just 50km east of BHP’s world-class Mt Keith open-pit nickel operation.