Public Company News

Australia’s first heavy rare earths mine is taking shape at a rapid pace. Northern Minerals have completed mining and stockpiling of all the ore required for the initial three-year life of the Browns Range heavy rare earths pilot project, while the second of three shipments of the modular processing plant has arrived in Darwin. The project is on track for first production in Q3 2018.

Calidus Resources’ patient efforts to consolidate ground over the Warrawoona greenstone belt in the East Pilbara are paying huge dividends, with new assay results delivering high-grade gold hits at every one of its prospects. The cashed-up explorer will immediately accelerate its aggressive drill campaign and will soon announce a resource upgrade based on its spectacular run of results.

A bold new idea by Terrain Minerals about the location of Cobalt and Nickel on the Yilgarn Craton has been rewarded with positive assay results from the very first reconnaissance visit. The junior explorer, best known for its work to develop the Great Western gold deposit north of Leonora, recently applied for three tenements about 170 km north-northeast of Geraldton.

Underwater drone innovator Aquabotix has taken its business ambition up a few pegs with the appointment of a US-based CEO whilst founding CEO Durval Tavares will move into the role of Chief Technology Officer to focus on product innovation. New CEO David Batista has a 20 year background in small caps and was most recently the Managing Director of financial services firm Viriathus Holdings.

Plymouth Minerals are busting the myth that Europe is barren when it comes to Lithium deposits with their emerging behemoth at the San Jose project in western Spain. The project is moving ahead rapidly after a scoping study in September delivered impressive results for an operation that will go all the way through to battery-grade Lithium Carbonate on site.

Auroch Minerals have ended their maiden drill program at the Tisova project in the Czech Republic with yet another intercept of multiple sulphide zones and are waiting eagerly for the first assay results to arrive in early December. The historic Tisova mine was in service for centuries as a Copper producer, but could have a new lease of life as a Cobalt producer in the heart of Europe.

Northern Minerals are looking at the potential for a bigger, longer life project at Browns Range after new exploration insights suggested the company had barely scratched the surface of their heavy rare earth resource near Halls Creek. Management has more confidence about mineralisation at depth and a host of new targets that have returned samples with grades well above the existing average.

ASX-listed Kalia Ltd have sourced and dusted off a number of historical geological reports related to Bougainville where the company has secured the first exploration licenses in decades.The company said that the combination of all reports secured represented the equivalent of a first pass exploration program that has effectively identified targets for Kalia to pursue.

Blackham Resources are cashed up and well positioned to complete planning work on their stage 2 expansion of the Wiluna gold project after securing a $60 million funding package and a new quality cornerstone shareholder in Pacific Road Capital. The package includes a $7.3 million placement to Pacific Road, a $12.3 million entitlement issue and a refinancing of the company’s debt facility.

Hammer Metals have commenced drill activity on another front on their vast Mt Isa tenement holdings, this time at their highly prospective Mt Frosty Copper-Gold joint venture with Glencore. Hammer is hoping to repeat recent successes that built on drill results of previous explorers and aims to establish a resource at the Jubilee prospect with minimal drilling.

MGC Pharmaceuticals have executed another major new medical marijuana deal, this time with a European medicinal cannabis product manufacturer and distributor that has signed on for annual sales worth at least $1m. New customer Mabsut Life says the deal is just the first in a series of agreements it expects with MGC Pharmaceuticals under a strategic partnership.

PharmAust’s acquisition last month of a library of compounds from a major Japanese pharmaceutical company is looking like a shrewd move. Initial tests show some of the newly acquired compounds can kill cancer cells grown in-vitro up to six times more effectively than the parent compound, Monepantel, which is Pharmaust's flagship anti-cancer drug.