Public Company News

Strike Energy has spudded the Jaws-1 exploratory oil and gas well in South Australia which may turn out to be a historic move for the John Poynton Chaired ASX-listed junior. Set to be drilled to an extraordinary target depth of 2000m, Jaws-1 may well become the deepest pure coal seam gas well ever drilled not only in Australia, but possibly in the southern hemisphere.

Newly listed BlackEarth Minerals has received a glowing report on the size and quality of graphite at its flagship Maniry project in southern Madagascar, finding plenty of high-purity, jumbo sized flakes that attract premium prices. The report highlighted the Razafy prospect, where BlackEarth is poised to launch a 10,800-metre drill program to establish a maiden JORC resource by mid-year.

Northern Minerals shareholders are eager to increase their exposure to the heavy rare earths developer as it nears first production at Browns Range, applying for $11.7m in stock under the recent share purchase plan. A further $1.3m was raised in a placement on the same terms, providing Northern with a $14m war chest to invest in exploration and further enhancements at Browns Range.

A NATO decision to catalogue ASX listed Droneshield’s anti-drone gun and issue the aerial drone-combatting device with a stock number has opened up a window of potential sales opportunities for the company. Up to 29 NATO aligned militaries and other non-aligned forces, will now be encouraged to purchase the product with increased confidence, without first having to first put it through a rigorous testing procedure.

Blackham Resources shareholders have thrown their collective weight behind a $36m entitlement issue, taking up 87% of the offer in a strong show of support after a dramatic turnaround at the Matilda-Wiluna gold project. The high take up by existing shareholders follows some stunning operational results in January, including record monthly gold production, and record-low all in sustaining costs.

Nzuri Copper has produced its best copper hits yet from a target area immediately along strike from the Kalongwe project in the DRC, opening the door for a possible significant extension of mine life. Drill hits of up to 7.7% copper were accompanied by encouraging cobalt intercepts, all at shallow depths and within 5km of the flagship project.

Middle Island Resources has entered a deal with Canadian-based Tajiri Resources to sell the last of its West African gold interests.The company announced this week it had executed a heads of agreement with Tajiri to sell its Reo project in Burkina Faso. The deal earns Middle Island up to US$355,000 in a series of cash payments and 8% of the fully diluted capital of TSX-V listed Tajiri.

Sky and Space Global will supply telco coverage and connectivity to Ghanaian telecoms service provider, Universal Cyberlinks as part of a five-year deal. The ASX-listed company opened slightly higher on the ASX as the market appeared to embrace an agreement that appears to underpin the company’s claims that it is capable of providing more economical and efficient communications to remote areas of the planet.

Listed security surveillance company Spectur is set to frighten the hell out of intruders in the dark with its new “Thermal Camera Detection System” that can see an intruder up to 1km away in complete darkness. Once activated, Spectur’s associated security system will flood the area with a massive floodlight, followed by a sci-fi style bull horn kicking into gear with a high decibel warning to the hapless trespasser.

ASX-listed Connected IO is on the brink of tying up and toasting its largest contract to date after a leading US-based cyber security firm completed prototype trials and delivered a flying pass mark for its wireless “internet of things” routers. The company said it will now enter a three-year-deal to supply the cloud-based, online card data security business with $6.9million worth of its high-tech products.

Classic Minerals has begun a drill program at the Lady Magdelene deposit in the Marvel Loch area with high hopes of finding a repeat of the high-grade gold that transformed the economics of the neighbouring Lady Ada deposit. The new program is the third phase of drill activity by Classic at its Forrestania gold project, which has already delivered multiple high-grade hits and sent the company’s share price soaring.

An offshore investment and research house has looked at ASX-listed Neometals with a fresh set of eyes and come up with huge valuation of $1.43 a share. The London firm says Neometals is wrongly perceived as just a holding company with a minority share in a lithium mine and believes a corporate split into separate mining and technology companies could trigger a re-rating of its stock.