Public Company News

Classic Minerals appears set to fully own its Forrestania gold project, south of Southern Cross in Western Australia, after it entered into an agreement with Hannans subsidiary Reed Exploration to purchase the final 20 per cent of the operation. Combined with its Kat Gap project, the company’s total resource around Forrestania comes to 8.41 million tonnes at 1.45g/t gold for 391,417 ounces.

Lithium Universe is another step closer to establishing its proposed Quebec lithium processing hub after securing global consulting heavyweight Hatch to undertake the engineering study for its downstream lithium carbonate refinery in Canada. The first part of the study will be to determine the ideal location for the 16,000 tonnes per annum lithium carbonate refinery and the estimated capital and operating costs.

Toro Energy has kicked off its Lake Maitland extension study, which will also include uranium-vanadium ore from its Lake Way and Centipede-Millipede deposits that sit some 30km south-east of Wiluna in Western Australia. The company’s new assessment is aimed at adding considerable value to its original scoping study that forecast an annual EBITDA of $101 million during a 17.5-year mine life.

Altech Batteries has notched up a win that will see permitting for its 100MWh battery project in Germany go through State approval, bypassing the more complex Federal process and expediting its mission. The company is in joint venture with Fraunhofer IKTS to commercialise the battery plant, which is designed to meet the demands of the stationary energy storage market.

Legend Mining has launched a high-power fixed loop electromagnetics survey to identify conductors below 600m at its Octagonal prospect that forms part of its greater Rockford project in Western Austra

Galan Lithium has upped the ante, with its phase-two DFS into its Hombre Muerto West project in Argentina projecting an annual average EBITDA of US$374 million (AU$588 million) for an astounding 40 years. Hot off the heels of its phase-one DFS, the company is looking to boost production at its flagship project, which is estimated to deliver a whopping US$2 billion (AU$3.1 billion) NPV.

Buru Energy has acquired some 200 square kilometres of high-resolution 3D seismic data within and around its 100 per cent-owned prodigious Rafael gas-condensate project in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. Once the data, which also includes several 2D lines in an adjoining permit, is processed and interpreted by year’s end, it will provide enhanced clarity on the subsurface structure and will drive appraisal drilling for next year.

Twigger's Tales (aka Argonaut’s Liam Twigger) tackles the big issues around the green energy and critical minerals revolution and the paltry sum of money committed by the Australian Government when compared to the USA’s big, bold cheque. It is time for Australia to have its own “Oppenheimer moment” to cement its place in the vanguard of the critical minerals charge.

Strickland Metals is galloping along at its Horse Well prospect in the Warburton mineral field, near Wiluna in Western Australia, with more solid gold hits from drilling. Management has today revealed new intercepts of 4m at 1.7g/t gold from 2m in near-surface laterite and an impressive 58m at 1.7g/t gold from 17m, including 10m at 4.2g/t gold, largely in the weathered oxide zone.

ChemX Materials has confirmed the significant 4N (99.99 per cent) purity results from its 100 per cent-owned high-purity alumina “micro-plant” in Perth’s southern suburbs in Western Australia. The results were determined across an impressive spectrum of 66 elements and represent a key milestone for the company – achieved within just a year of commissioning its HPA facility ¬– on its pathway to 5N purity.

Lithium Universe is one step closer to establishing its proposed Quebec lithium processing hub after appointing Primero Group as the lead manager to design its multi-purpose, stand-alone concentrator in Canada. Management says the appointment follows an extensive process to procure a contractor with suitable experience and capabilities to undertake the design of a stand-alone concentrator to process one million tonnes per year of spodumene ore.

Earlier this year, the US State of Nevada overtook Western Australia as the world’s No.1 mining jurisdiction, according to the Fraser Institute’s latest annual survey of mining companies. But just down the road, Arizona – a long-time mining frontier ¬– has also been attracting significant interest from several ASX-listed exploration companies such as Riedel Resources, Eagle Mountain Mining and Patriot Lithium.