James Pearson

Six months after picking up the once-dormant high-grade Santa Barbara gold project in Colombia through a takeover of Andean Mining, Aguia Resources has triggered a gold rush with a maiden pour of the yellow metal. The initial pour kicked off much needed cashflow at a critical time for Aguia as it pushes forward with expansion plans to shortly increase its processing capacity to 50tpd.

McLaren Minerals is gearing up for a six-week infill drilling program to gather metallurgical samples, explore for extensions and strengthen its resource at the company’s existing McLaren titanium sands project in Western Australia’s Eucla Basin. Designed by ERM Australia Consultants and kicking off in two weeks, the campaign is expected to cover 6000 metres of air core drilling.

Great Southern Mining has kicked off an RC drilling campaign at its Duketon gold project, which spans 178 square kilometres within 13 virtually contiguous leases in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields. The program has been designed to unlock the full potential of its promising Golden Boulder prospect which previously produced some impressive results before the rig is moved onto several other high-priority targets.

Buru Energy is putting an updated game plan into play to focus on its flagship Rafael gas project in Western Australia’s Canning Basin. It has wasted no time selling off non-core assets by inking a deal to offload its 50 per cent stake in the Barbwire Terrace base metal project to joint venture partner Sipa Resources in exchange for a royalty over future production.

Altech Batteries has been awarded “Dark Green” certification, the highest rating offered by global ratings agency S&P, for its salt battery project, opening the door to funding from the massive green bond market. The company believes the accolade has underscored the project’s potential to redefine battery technology and shines a light on what it says is possibly the greenest battery technology available today.

Buru Energy has rolled out a bold plan to focus attention and capital on its flagship Rafael gas and liquids project in WA's Canning Basin, set to begin production in 2027. To ensure Rafael’s success as a future cash cow, the company has kicked off a $3 million cost-cutting program and the sell-down of non-core assets, directing capital where it matters most.

Strickland Metals has launched into 2025 with a bang, revealing strong vertical extensions at its Shanac gold-copper skarn deposit in Serbia. The new results, which came from a single hole targeting the underexplored southern extent of the prospect, included an 80.2m intercept at 1.9g/t gold equivalent from 501.9m, featuring 11.7m at 4.3g/t gold equivalent and a 30.1m section grading 1.6g/t gold equivalent from 438.9m.

Latitude 66 says an ongoing scoping study, due in March, has identified the K2 deposit as an ideal source of high-grade ore to kick off a standalone mine and generate early cashflows at its flagship Kuusamo Schist Belt Project gold-cobalt project in northern Finland. Consultants have also finalised pit optimisation, mine designs, process flow sheets and scheduling for a new development.

Ardea Resources has hit the ground running at its massive Goongarrie Hub nickel laterite project in WA’s Goldfields with four drill rigs active and several work contracts already awarded. Supported by mega joint venture partners Sumitomo and Mitsubishi, the $98.5 million DFS is looking to prove up the economics of turning the project into a low-cost, multi-decade laterite nickel-cobalt producer.

Ora Banda Mining produced 22,973 ounces of gold in the December quarter at 2.9g/t, totalling 47,300 ounces for the half year. All-in sustaining costs rose 14.7pc to $2536 due to processing residual low-grade ore. With the Riverina mine paying for itself inside 18 months, Sand King is set to boost output to 150,000 ounces annually by June. Cash reserves grew by $9m to $57.8m.

Strickland Metals is poised for a blockbuster start to 2025, with key assay results from the Shanac and Gradina deposits at its flagship Rogozna project in Serbia expected next week. A maiden resource estimate for the Medenovac deposit is slated for late February, while at its Yandal project in WA, an updated resource estimate is on track for late March.

St George Mining has inked a nine-month non-exclusive memorandum of understanding with one of the world’s leading steelmakers, the China-based Liaoning Fangda Group, which may lead to a deal to supply at least 20 per cent of future niobium production from its Araxá REE project in Brazil in exchange for funding support.

Aurum Resources has tightened its grip on fellow West African gold explorer Mako Gold, boasting an 86.77 per cent ownership stake and setting the stage for the final act. Having already declared its off-market takeover bid as unconditional, Aurum has now upped the stakes by branding its bid “Best and Final,” signalling a determination to close the deal.

Thunderbird Resources has scooped the services of industry veteran George Ventouras as executive chairman in a shift the company says is a strategic move to accelerate an ambitious exploration agenda at its Rockvale and Kookabookra antimony-gold projects in New South Wales. Ventouras has stepped into his new role following the resignation of former executive chairman, George Bauk.

The share price of Meeka Metals soared to a record high of 10.2 cents today after unveiling a set of stunning gold hits from its drilling at St Anne’s, part of the company’s flagship Murchison gold project in Western Australia. The results included a jaw-dropping 10m section grading 52.79 grams per tonne (g/t) gold within a broader 23m intercept running at 26.73g/t.

In a move that brings St George Mining a step closer to becoming a key critical metal producer, the company has raised $20 million in a placement to new and existing investors. The funds will be used to finalise its acquisition of the high-grade Araxá niobium-rare earth (REE) project in Brazil, adjacent to CBMM’s world-leading operations in Minas Gerais, with settlement now due in March.

Aguia Resources is fast approaching first gold pour at the company’s ultra high-grade Santa Barbara gold project in Colombia as it ramps up the mine and its processing plant to treat 50tpd of ore for the shiny yellow metal. The first 25 tonnes of ore has now been mined and loaded into a series of agitator tanks in preparation for the carbon-in-leach solution.

As Meeka Metals moves towards first mining in March, it has jagged more high-grade gold at its Murchison project in WA with 1m at 154.5g/t gold in 6m intercept at 26.47g/t from its ongoing infill RC drilling. Management says the findings have reinforced the company’s confidence in its open pit production strategy, with the first gold pour scheduled for late June or early July.

This week’s Bulls N’ Bears Runner of the Week is… 5E Advanced Materials, up 86 per cent following a booming price for its dual listed shares on Nasdaq and as it focuses on becoming a vertically integrated and global boron producer. On home turf, Lycaon Resources also stunned the market with a coup of epic proportions landing industry veteran, Tony Rovira, who has joined the company’s ranks as a non-executive director.

Lycaon Resources shares soared 66 per cent to 15c a share after the company bolstered the board and its bank balance by locking in former Azure Minerals managing director Tony Rovira as a new non-executive director of the company. The well-regarded mining veteran has also agreed to invest $360,000 in Lycaon through the issue of four million new shares at 9c a share.

88 Energy has banked a US$1 million payment from its joint venture partner, Texas-based Burgundy Xploration, as part of an outstanding US$4 million cash call, now due in February. The funding is supporting the ongoing development of the company’s massive Phoenix petroleum development in Alaska. Burgundy has reiterated its intention to provide full carry costs to earn an additional working interest in the project.

This week’s Bulls N’ Bears Runner of the Week is… icetana. The video analytic solution provider inked a three-year Malaysian security deal for 1 Utama, Malaysia's largest shopping mall which saw its shares peak more than 100 per cent higher during the week. Patriot Lithium also had a nice time in the sun following a transformative deal to buy into the highly prospective Zambian Kitumba copper project while a huge cheer went up for Mesoblast after it landed FDA approval for its cell therapy treatment. There was also Black Dragon taking out the silver… but we’ll get to that.

Ora Banda Mining has extracted first ore at its new WA Sand King underground gold mine, just four months after opening the portal. Full-scale mining is set for March, with 60,000 ounces of gold per year expected by mid-year. The Sand King mine is a key piece of the company’s ambitious Drive to 150 plan, aiming to produce up to 160,000 gold ounces annually by mid-2026.

Meeka Metals’ infill drilling at its WA Murchison project has revealed high-grade gold at the Turnberry and St Anne’s prospects, boosting plans to expand its production schedule. The key results at Turnberry included 9m grading 16.83g/t gold, including 5m at an eye-catching 29.02g/t gold while at St Annes the best hits included 11m grading 13.01g/t gold, with a sizzling 4m section running at 30.66g/t gold

Aurum Resources has unveiled spectacular gold intercepts at its Boundiali gold project in northern Côte d'Ivoire with one 1.19m hit grading 277.54 g/t gold from 31m depth at its BM prospect. The drilling program included 76 diamond drill holes at the Boundiali BM and BD prospects, covered more than 21,700m of drilling and delivered a plethora of high-grade finds.

Novo Resources has options to buy two exceptionally high-grade, drill-ready gold projects in New South Wales, including the John Bull prospect that has walk-up drilling targets in an area with seven historical shafts including one sunk in the mid-1880s. Novo said the acquisitions align with its strategy of identifying standalone projects that could host at least one million ounces of gold.

88 Energy has reinforced its position on Alaska’s North Slope after securing four new, highly promising petroleum leases adjoining the existing 10 blocks it already holds at the company’s Project Leonis grounds. Seismic data revealed the discovery of significant oil potential at the new prospect, which covers 43 square kilometres and contains a sizable target up to 102m thick.

Meeka Metals has posted a massively improved definitive feasibility study that places its Murchison gold project in WA firmly on the road to almost doubling its total free cash flow to $1 billion over the mine’s expected 10-year lifespan. It also outlined a 31% boost in reserves and a 40% rise in production to 544,000 ounces over the decade with peak annual sales reaching 76,000 ounces in year five.

Novo Resources has picked up a new gold and base metals exploration play in WA’s Pilbara region by locking up a 1520-square-kilometre land package near Onslow that is littered with evidence of historical mining. The two-part move involves pegging six new tenements together with securing an option on a 70 per cent interest in the nearby Cane River project held by a private company.

88 Energy has pinpointed no less than 10 independent hydrocarbon leads after doing the initial interpretation of newly acquired 2D seismic data across its PEL93 exploration licence in the Owambo Basin, Namibia. The findings, conducted by exploration program operator Monitor Exploration has reconfirmed substantial closed-in structures right across the southern area of the lease, previously picked up in geophysical survey.

Strickland Metals’ Gradina prospect in Serbia is showing all the hallmarks of a company maker. One lode is now within 150m of surface where it is still open and mineralised to at least 603m. Single drill holes have intersected three separate lodes with seriously big widths and impressive grades and it looks like it still has more to give.

Latitude 66 will sell its Sylvania gold project in WA’s Pilbara region to gold producer Capricorn Metals for $1.5m worth of Capricorn shares, potentially two or more $750,000-milestone payments and a 1% royalty. The deal is designed to help Latitude 66 fund its promising Finnish gold-cobalt project by unlocking value from what it says is a “non-core” asset.