Joint venture partners Covalent Lithium, Wesfarmers and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM) have opened of the Mt Holland lithium mine and concentrator project. The Mt Holland lithium project consists of an open-cut mine and concentrator, located 110km southeast of Southern Cross in the Wheatbelt region, and a refinery currently being constructed in the Kwinana Industrial Area. With an expected cost of $2.6 billion, the project is supporting 1,000 jobs during construction and 350 jobs during operations. Mt Holland will produce 380,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year, which will be refined into 50,000 tonnes of battery-quality lithium hydroxide.…
BMG Resources Limited has announced promising results from its ongoing exploration review of the Dragon project neighbouring WA1 Resources’ site in the West Arunta region of Western Australia. Multiple targets showing structural and magnetic features have been identified at the Dragon Project — features similar to those that represent mineralised carbonatites at WA1 Resources’ ground and the nearby Aileron Project of Encounter Resources. BMG’s Dragon Niobium-REE Project is immediately adjacent to and shares a 30-kilometre-long border with the West Arunta Project of WA1 Resources. BMG Non-Executive Chairman John Prineas said: “Our ongoing review of exploration data for the West Arunta…
Pantera Minerals Limited has announced a substantial expansion of its Smackover Brine Project in North America, with the acquisition of 3,553 acres, representing a 26 per cent increase in leased acreage. The company's total net leased acreage now surpasses 17,000 acres. The bulk of the new acreage comes from a key lease with a mineral owner covering 2,194 acres, placing Pantera in a unique position of strength. This expansion not only enhances the project's scalability but also consolidates Pantera's control, with 100 per cent ownership of the project now under its purview. Pantera, the sole junior company listed in the…
A West Australian-based lithium explorer looks well-positioned to capture significant upside when the alkali metal’s market moves into its anticipated recovery mode. In 2023, Global Lithium Resources Ltd (ASX:GL1) spent a great deal of its corporate time sizing up its wholly-owned outcropping Manna pegmatite project in its home state of WA, completing a large-scale 60,000 metre reverse circulation and diamond drilling campaign which covered infill and extensional targets. The junior also started metallurgical and geotechnical programs that have since carried over into 2024. Located around 100 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the state’s Goldfields, Manna currently enjoys an indicated and…
Hillgrove Resources has commenced production of its first copper concentrate from the Kanmantoo mine in South Australia, following the successful completion of the processing facility; both milestones were met within the company's target timeframe of Q1 2024. The transition from explorer to producer makes Hillgrove Resources one of only a few copper producers on the ASX. Hillgrove Resources CEO and Managing Director Lachlan Wallace said: “Operations will be bedded down at Kanmantoo as we ramp up to steady stage production and our attention will turn to growing the business by converting future exploration and development opportunities.” “The project is well-positioned…
In mid-February a Perth-based dual-listed resources house took a major step towards establishing a sovereign national graphite project which entailed a ‘mine to market’ capability and integrated operations located within its home state of Western Australia. In doing so, it moved further towards its goal of becoming a significant player in the global processed graphite market. International Graphite Ltd (ASX: IG6) has just completed the successful wet commissioning of its new $1.5 million, 200 tonnes per annum graphite micronising plant in the coal mining town of Collie in WA using imported graphite concentrates. To be known as the Collie BAM…
An ASX-listed junior is looking to expeditiously dual-track its two lithium projects during the coming year, with the Perth-based Future Battery Minerals Ltd (FBM) targeting deposits in both Western Australia and the US state Nevada. In WA, the prize is its wholly-owned Kangaroo Hills, located just 17 kilometres south of the historic gold town of Coolgardie, where a high grade lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite discovery has so far returned an assay of 29 metres at 1.36 per cent lithium. Meanwhile, in southern Nevada, the aptly-named Nevada Lithium Project (NLP), in which the junior has an 80 per cent interest, is a large-scale…
American Rare Earths has revealed significant breakthroughs in metallurgical technology as part of the SynBREE project. The project, a consortium led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), is part of the Environmental Microbes as a BioEngineering Resource (EMBER) program within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a U.S. Department of Defense agency. The groundbreaking results include the successful preconcentration of Halleck Creek ore to 3.5% Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) at a 12:1 upgrade ratio. This achievement represents a remarkable approximately 200 per cent increase from the existing flowsheet design, utilising cost-effective and conventional Dense Medium Separation (DMS) techniques.…
Gold exploration company Challenger Gold has announced that the company’s recent metallurgical testwork program at the Hualilan Gold Project in Argentina, conducted in November 2023, has opened new avenues for the processing and profitability of the project. The initial scoping study for the project outlined a process path yielding three primary product streams: an Au-Ag concentrate from bulk flotation, a Zn-Au-Ag concentrate from sequential flotation, and Au-Ag doré from leaching of the flotation tailings-leach (FTL). A significant enhancement was identified late in the study's preparation phase, proposing the conversion of the Au-Ag concentrate into doré through a fine-grind and high-intensity…
The latest drilling results recently released by Australian-based mineral exploration company — Latin Resources Ltd — from the Colina Deposit and Fog’s Block in Brazil have yielded high-grade lithium, enforcing the project’s Tier One status. Following the previous mineral resource estimate (MRE) in June 2023, an additional 53 holes (23,617 metres) were drilled at the Colina Deposit, and 13 diamond drill holes (4,575.7 metres) at Fog’s Block. Latin Resources Vice President of Operations - Americas Tony Greenaway said: “This latest update represents a solid five months of drilling which was focused on extending the Colina Deposit to the southwest along…
Australia-based mineral exploration company, Mont Royal Resources, has made significant progress in the Phase Two lithium exploration program at the Bohier Lithium Project, situated in the prolific Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in Quebec, Canada. The Bohier Lithium Project footprint has expanded through its second lithium exploration phase. The company reported high-grade results from the trenching and channel sampling program, including: 6.05 metres at 1.78 per cent lithium oxide 7 metres at 1.71 per cent lithium oxide 1 metre at 1.97 per cent lithium oxide 18 samples are currently pending results at the Actlabs laboratory facility in Val d’or, Quebec. Preparations…
Mineral exploration company Rincon Resources has made significant progress at its wholly-owned West Arunta project — in Western Australia — as the company has obtained the necessary heritage clearance. This sets the stage for imminent site works and the initiation of a groundbreaking 1,000 metre diamond drilling program at the Pokali IOCG Prospect. With the clearance in place, the team is diligently preparing for the site works, which is scheduled to commence soon, followed closely by the drilling activities. The upcoming drilling program is meticulously designed to include two diamond holes, each extending to a minimum depth of 500 metres.…
ASX-listed technology minerals company Pinnacle Minerals Ltd has mobilised the field team from Quebec-based geological consultants, IOS, to Mirage Outfitters for the execution of fieldwork. This move marks the preparation for the inaugural exploration program at the Adina East Project located in James Bay, Quebec. Pinnacle Minerals Managing Director Nic Matich said: “Pinnacle has secured the services of respected Geological Group IOS Services Géoscientifiques to conduct first pass exploration at the recently acquired Adina East Lithium Project. Having the crew mobilised on site one day after announcing the acquisition highlights the company’s intent to maximise shareholder value through prompt and…
Producer of high-performance titanium products Iperion X Limited has received a Letter of Interest (LOI) from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank) — offering a provisional equipment finance of US$11.5 million. This finance is intended for the development of IperionX’s Titanium Production Facility located in Halifax County, Virginia, and is repayable over a tenure of seven years. This promising development follows EXIM’s evaluation of IperionX’s project for eligibility under both its ‘China and Transformational Exports Program’ and the ‘Make More in America Initiative’. These schemes are crafted to diminish Chinese dominance in critical sectors while amplifying export-focused…
