Public Company News

Perth-based Epichem, a wholly owned subsidiary of ASX-listed biotech PharmAust, has received a contract extension with a leading US biotechnology company, Unity Biotechnology. The new contract, worth around US$1.65 million out to 2020, means Epichem will continue to provide synthetic and medicinal chemistry expertise to support Unity’s drug discovery projects.

Lithium Australia’s Eichigt project in Germany is looking a little more interesting after a second round of samples produced 1.47% cobalt and impressive lithium values from the same patch of ground. The rare double up of cobalt and lithium is contained in mineralisation not previously discovered in Saxony and augurs well for the company’s plans to supply battery metals to Europe.

Hot Chili has commenced drilling at its very prospective looking El Fuego copper targets in Chile, with assay results due shortly. The program is testing extensions of shallow, high grade copper lodes at the historical San Antonio and Valentina mines. The company has initiated underground mapping and sampling at San Antonio and recently completed regional reconnaissance mapping and sampling.

Kopore Metals has reported over 10sq kms of prospective base metal soil geochemistry at the recently identified KM3 airborne electromagnetic target at its Ghanzi West project in Botswana. Ground EM surveys have confirmed coincident conductors from 50m, generating a high priority location for upcoming drilling programs. The company is continuing its regional soil sampling programs across its tenements.

Australian Potash remains on track for development of its Lake Wells potash project as it progresses the approvals and permitting processes with two key areas of environmental fieldwork now complete. A final field program is planned for the third quarter of 2018 with an all encompassing Environmental Review Document to be submitted shortly thereafter.

Galena Mining has announced outstanding metallurgical test work results from its flagship Abra lead project, confirming its ability to produce high grade concentrates averaging 74.5% lead with recoveries exceeding 94%. Results showed that the ores can be processed into high quality base metal concentrates with low impurities, using conventional crushing and flotation techniques.

Middle Island Resources has reported that ore sorting trials to upgrade gold mineralisation at its flagship Two Mile Hill underground deposit will be completed this month. Preliminary test work has proved highly successful in pre-concentrating ores via optical sorting methods. Resource definition drilling is also underway and is designed to increase resources at the Sandstone gold project.

Tech play Connected IO took in cash receipts and invoiced products this quarter to the value of $660,000 with another $650,000 in purchase orders on the books yet to be invoiced. Bottom line performance is also expected to improve with reduced U.S. overheads and renegotiated manufacturing costs expected to boost gross margins from 30% to 50% on some products.

Neometals has executed a two-year option agreement with the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder to sub-lease a 40 hectare site for its proposed lithium refinery, located in an industrial estate at West Kalgoorlie. The site is located close to critical road, rail and power infrastructure, just 70km by road from the existing Mt Marion Lithium operations, where the company will initially source the raw spodumene lithium feedstock.

After agreeing terms for the spin-off of its giant Admiral Bay zinc project, Metalicity is now rapidly reshaping the company as a serious player in the battery metals sector. Exploration activity is being stepped up at three well-placed projects in lithium, cobalt and graphite, backed by an MOU already in place with Shanghai Metals for offtake, development and financing support.

Hammer Metals has announced significant cobalt-copper results from drilling at its Millennium JV project, near Cloncurry in western Queensland. The program tested up-dip continuity of the main lode, returning a best result of 7m @ 0.15% cobalt, 0.36% copper and 0.12g/t gold from 14m down-hole. The company also identified a new exploration target from rock chip sampling and mapping, 1km north of the Millennium resource.

Kopore Metals will commence its maiden drill program at the Ghanzi West project near MOD Resources significant copper find in Botswana, following receipt of Government environmental approvals. The company defined a number of high priority exploration targets using a combination of airborne and ground geophysics, with coincident base metal soil anomalies.