Public Company News

Private equity backed Barton Gold has emerged with WPG Resources’ South Australian assets after WPG fell over in 2018. They include the Challenger underground gold mine and plant, the Tarcoola Project containing the Perseverance open pit and the Tunkillia gold deposit. Barton says the Challenger underground mine, that was so central to WPG’s story, is not a current focus and the real prize is Tarcoola and Tunkillia.

Middle Island Resources continues to return outstanding results with the drill bit as it aggressively pursues a pathway to production at its Sandstone gold project in WA. The company’s extensive drilling program has uncovered three new discoveries in as many weeks and the Perth-based ASX-listed company has now laid out a strategy to fire up the old mothballed Sandstone plant.

ASX-listed mineral sands miner, Image Resources, is not resting on its laurels, having successfully commissioned its Boonanarring mine north of Perth in December 2018. The ASX-listed company has been systematically banking more ore horizons within a 10km radius on the mine with a view to underpinning and turbo-charging its longevity. 15,825 drill metres have now confirmed northerly and southerly extensions.

ASX-listed agricultural investment and management company, Alterra, has placed a major piece of its strategic puzzle into place after the Perth-based company inked a deal with Sydney-based family office investment platform, CapRaise, to source capital for its ongoing agricultural projects from a pool of up to 114 family offices that CapRaise provides investment opportunities for.

With an estimated A$600m a year in annual EBITDA, the economics at AVZ Minerals’ giant Manono lithium project in the DRC don’t need much turbo-charging, but that is exactly what the Perth-based, ASX-listed company is planning to do after it managed to produce separate, very high grade tin and tantalum concentrates in test work using traditional low cost processing equipment.

Middle Island Resources looks to be onto a third new gold discovery in as many weeks at its Sandstone gold project in Western Australia with the new “Old Town Well” deposit igniting interest following a phase one RC drilling program. The company is looking to translate good results from ongoing drilling into further resource expansions that will eventually support the recommissioning of its mothballed Sandstone mill.

ASX-listed tech player, Aurora Labs’ new board has wasted no time in implementing a cost saving program that is set to reduce annual expenditures by a whopping $6M a year. The cuts, which also include a paring back of executive pays and a lower overall head count, will see monthly overheads at the Perth based 3D metal printing specialist cut by 65 per cent.

Australian Potash has identified a large number of gold anomalies from a regional air core drilling program at its Lake Wells joint venture gold project located approximately 130km north-east of Laverton in WA. Drill intercepts of up to 6m at 0.327 grams per tonne gold have included anomalous levels of pathfinder elements often associated with gold mineralisation.

Norwest Energy has A$3M cash in the bank to help it lock in a rig for the highly anticipated Lockyer Deep-1 exploration well that is only 15kms north of Strike Resources’ huge West Erregulla gas discovery. Norwest said it was working with the operator, Mineral Resources to secure a rig contract after locking in site access with the local landowner east of Dongara in WA.

Perth listed oil company, 88 Energy, has made an off-market, all-scrip offer for fellow ASX-listed Alaskan oil chaser, XCD Energy, with a view to expanding its gross lease foot print on Alaska’s oil-rich North Slope by forty per cent. The offer is subject to a formal bidders statement and 90 per cent acceptances from both XCD Energy shareholders and listed option holders.

Calidus Resources is pulling out all stops to get its Warrawoona gold project into production in the Pilbara after it signed a deal to co-fund an airport upgrade at Marble Bar this week in partnership with the Shire of East Pilbara. The upgrade will enable Calidus to seamlessly deliver its workforce in and out of Warrawoona when it gets going.

Ora Banda Mining’s spread of gold deposits across its Davyhurst project, including an impressive 24 separate resources, will soon receive yet another shot in the arm courtesy of a successful drilling program at the rapidly developing Sand King project. Standout numbers at Sand King include 5 metres grading 13.7 grams per tonne gold from 79m, 4.5m at 10.4g/t from 73m and 6.6m grading 6.1g/t from 5.2m.