Public Company News

Aquabotix has launched a smarter 'hybrid' drone that can be operated directly from the surface, autonomously or remotely. Deployed for security, research, environmental assessment and defence purposes, the drone can be controlled by one person and will deliver greater flexibility, the company says. The new drone is able to be mounted with additional sensors and has an 8 hour battery life.

A new pure play graphite company, BlackEarth Minerals, is set to join the ASX just days before Christmas after reaching its minimum subscription of $4.5 million. The company is a spin-off from Lithium Australia, who received a strong response from shareholders to a priority entitlement offer. The float has been helped along by high quality projects in Madagascar and a rally in graphite prices.

St George Mining has made a strong start to drilling at their East Laverton nickel project with drill hits of prospective ultramafic rocks from the first two holes in the program. The new holes have confirmed a western extension of the Windsor ultramafic unit that produced high grade nickel intercepts for BHP back in 2012. St George rocketed up the ASX this month on the back of its Mt Alexander results.

Legend Mining’s patient and systematic exploration for a Nova-Bollinger lookalike at its vast Rockford project in the Fraser Range has delivered its best result yet. New assays from aircore drilling at Area D returned 47 metres at 0.29% nickel, 0.12% copper and 0.03% cobalt, which compares very favourably with results at a similar stage in the Nova discovery according to company management.

Drilling by Geopacific Resources at their recently acquired Woodlark Gold deposit in PNG has shown it has spectacularly long high grades like its famous epithermal neighbours. The path has now been cleared for a new resource and reserve estimate early next year. Latest results from the new drilling include 37 metres at 6.21g/t gold, 25 metres at 6.27g/t and 16 metres at 11.00g/t.

Internet of things player Connected IO’s entry into the US market continues to build momentum, with the Perth-listed company confirming $1 million worth of new orders from US-based Rosco Vision Systems. Connected IO has also received an order for an additional 1,000 of its Cat-1 wireless modem like devices from Rosco as part of the deepening ties between the two companies.

Hammer Metals’ newly-formed Mt Frosty Copper-Gold JV with global mining giant Glencore is already looking good with the company announcing this week some highly encouraging drill hits from its maiden drill program in Mt Isa. The ASX-listed junior explorer reported visible copper sulphides from shallow RC drilling, backing up its view there is potential to define a resource with minimal drilling.

Calima Energy has added 2,738 acres of prime Canadian oil and gas real estate to its portfolio in the liquids-rich, sweet spots of the Montney Formation in Northeast British Columbia, following successful bidding in the latest Canadian Government land auction for coveted licences in the North American oil and gas play.

Fresh from news of a big increase in their San Jose lithium deposit, Plymouth Minerals is racing ahead with test work on converting the deposit into high-value Lithium Carbonate by way of an on-site plant. Bulk samples are already on their way to Plymouth’s Chinese processing partner, Shandong Ruifu, who will beneficiate the ore and process it into battery-grade lithium carbonate.

After spectacularly setting the market alight with a share price run from 7.9c to 48c, St George Mining say they are well and truly still in the hunt for a company making nickel-copper discovery near Agnew. Recent drilling expanded the mineralised footprint at the project and provided solid indications that the deposit thickens to the north and west of St George's 17m discovery intersection.

Lithium Australia have snagged their first major Lithium resource thanks to a wholly successful decision to take a close look at the unrecognised lithium potential of an historic tin mine in Saxony, Germany. The company announced a maiden resource at Sadisdorf that is capable of supplying a 25,000 tonne per annum Lithium Carbonate plant for 10 years without even drilling a hole.

Peppermint Innovation is tapping into Australia’s growing immigrant population who are transferring billions of dollars each year ‘back home’ to their countries of origin. Peppermint has established a 100 per cent owned subsidiary that will earn Australian revenue from fees charged for transferring monies around the world and from foreign exchange margins received at the time of transferring those funds.