Public Company News

Lithium Australia has once again returned from the hunt for new lithium frontier projects, this time in tiger country in the Pilbara. The Perth based, vertically integrated lithium tyro has bagged up what looks to be a pegmatite rich greenfields lithium project 18km’s east of Marble bar in the Moolyella tin fields. The project cost just $25,000 in cash and a further $25,000 in Lithium Australia stock.

Even though Neometals' massive Barrambie titanium-vanadium-iron resource in W.A is of a globally significant scale, it has flown under the radar given that Neometals is better known for its development of the equally significant Mt Marion lithium mine near Coolgardie. The company surprised the market last week by announcing a 280m tonne Resource at Barrambie grading 9.18% TiO2 and 0.44% V2O5.

Classic Minerals has reported highly anomalous cobalt results from an historical data review of its Rubys Reward prospect at the Fraser Range project near Kambalda. The assays of up to 0.14% cobalt define a continuous 300m trend that will be evaluated for its economic potential in coming months. The company will also re-evaluate the broader project area for additional cobalt mineralisation.

Northern Minerals has announced promising rare earth sample results from exploration conducted at its Browns Range project which is currently under construction. Sampling returned results of up to 6.4% total rare earth oxides and the discovery of a new prospect. The company is expecting first production of heavy rare earth carbonate at the mine in July, with ongoing exploration to extend mine life.

ASX-listed resume verification provider CVCheck has posted best-ever revenues for the third fiscal quarter as it advances towards cash flow breakeven. The integrated screening and verification company said quarterly revenues lifted to a record $3.3m, up 21 per cent on the same quarter last year, largely due to an uplift in demand from corporate clients.

ASX-listed security surveillance company Spectur has nailed its first military order for the cutting-edge HD4 camera system after securing authorised supplier status with the Australian Department of Defence. The Department placed a $50,000 purchase order for the Perth-based company flagship security camera system and Spectur is confident of further orders for its innovative thermal camera system.

Bougainville-focused explorer Kalia has received a boost from its initial field exploration on the island, backing the company’s view about the potential for lookalikes of the giant Panguna deposit that shutdown prematurely in 1989. The first batch of field trips in the north of the island have produced multiple anomalous assays of copper and gold, with best results above the grades of the Panguna mine.

PharmAust has hit a major milestone, signing a landmark deal with US pharmaceutical giant Elanco to develop the company’s promising anti-cancer drug “Monepantel”. The deal will see Elanco supply PharmAust with high-grade Monepantel for use in clinical trials in dogs with cancer and in return Pharmaust will grant Elenco an option to negotiate a deal to take Pharmaust's IP to the global market.

Lithium Australia will take less than six months to recommission the manufacturing facility at its new acquired Very Small Particle Company. It expects to be producing world-leading cathode materials by July. The rapid re-start is part of an ambitious strategy to become a vertically integrated lithium business, which will also see battery grade lithium carbonate produced from 2021.

Geopacific Resources has made its second high-grade gold and silver discovery in three months at its 85%-owned Kou Sa project in northern Cambodia and found more evidence that a large epithermal mineral system could be nearby. The latest discovery was made by an exploration program that returned gold assays up to 32.35 g/t and silver assays up to 2,300 g/t.

Hot Chili has discovered a 12m intersection going 3.1% copper without sinking a drill hole. The company has unearthed historic drill data records that show it is on the right track with its impending maiden drill program at the El Fuego project in Chile. The company has identified in-situ ore parcels adjacent to mine workings and discovered a new hanging wall lode.

Perth-based Volt Resources is nearing the finish line for approvals on a number of fronts at its high-purity Bunyu graphite project in Tanzania. Environmental, mining and other approvals are now at an advanced stage and ready to drop according to the company. Stage two of Volt’s project could catapult it into the ranks of the world’s top tier graphite producers when operating at full tilt.