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…
Intra Energy Corporation Limited has completed the first phase of exploration on its Llama Lithium Project located in the prolific James Bay region in Québec, Canada. Multiple large-scale pegmatite dykes have been identified with Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum (LCT) affinities including the presence of the minerals beryl and columbite. The first stage program was undertaken by Dahrouge Geological Consulting (DGC) who has mapped approximately 52 kilometres of ground traverses and collected a total of 83 rock samples with the objective of identifying drill targets. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="922"] Map of the Llama project, illustrating the location of the 83 rock samples collected, including…
Argentinian high-grade lithium brine developer, Galan Lithium Limited has announced the results of the Phase 2 definitive feasibility study (DFS) for its Hombre Muerto West (HMW) Project in Catamarca Province, Argentina. The initial phase DFS was based on a production level of 5.37 ktpa lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in the form of lithium chloride concentrate. The second phase has increased the overall annual production rate to 20,851 recoverable tonnes LCE, contained in a concentrated lithium chloride product for a period of 40 years. The results and analysis confirm Galan’s belief that the HMW Project is a tier one project in…
Blue Star Helium Limited’s on-site preparation for the Voyager development processing facility is making progress, with the company’s earth works contractor currently working on the site preparation necessary for the IACX helium recovery unit to be deployed at Voyager in Colorado. The site requires a substantial pad and part of the site will also serve as a base of operations for ongoing helium exploration and development. We are pleased to have partnered with a nearby mineral leaseholder and surface owner for the needed base gravel. Additionally, road access work including heavy vehicle upgrades is progressing well. In November 2021, the…
Fortune Minerals Limited and Rio Tinto are collaborating to develop technology that will improve recovery of the critical minerals cobalt and bismuth. Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the companies, testing will be done at Rio Tinto Kennecott’s integrated copper mining and smelting operations in Utah and at Fortune’s planned Alberta Refinery. The partnership aims to maximise the value of critical mineral supply chain investments and increase Fortune’s planned cobalt and bismuth refining operations to process co-product streams of the minerals recovered from the Kennecott smelter. In 2020, the Canadian and U.S. governments signed a Joint Action Plan on…
Basin Energy Limited successfully completed a 3D inversion of historical geophysical datasets at its Marshall Uranium Project, situated in the southeastern region of the globally renowned Athabasca Basin in Canada. The analysis has led to the identification of multiple priority anomalies, located both above and below the Athabasca unconformity, present in both the sandstone and basement stratigraphy at Marshall. The company says the recent geophysical analysis has been particularly enlightening, especially considering the limited exploration previously conducted on these tenements. Basin’s Managing Director, Pete Moorhouse, commented: “Basin has continued advancing the Marshall Project through the reprocessing of historic geophysical data…
Loyal Lithium Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Winsome Resources to foster collaboration aimed at minimising the environmental and local footprint of exploration and mining activities in the Trieste greenstone region of Québec, Canada. Loyal Lithium Managing Director Adam Ritchie said: “This collaboration MOU with Winsome Resources simply formalises the cooperative spirit within the mining industry. As Loyal progresses with more advanced exploration at the Trieste Lithium Project our commitment to minimise environment and stakeholder impacts is critical. “With many alternative lithium sources available globally, collaboration is essential to ensure a cost-effective domestic lithium supply is realised.…
Alderan Resources Limited has executed a binding share sale agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the issued capital in Parabolic Lithium Pty Ltd. Parabolic has the right to acquire a 100 per cent interest in seven lithium exploration projects in the mineral resource rich state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The seven projects cover 472 square kilometres and consist of 24 granted exploration licences in seven project areas — Curral de Dentro, Minas Novas, Carai, Catuji, Itaipe, Itambacuri and Governador Valadares. All projects are located in and immediately to the south of the area known as ‘Lithium Valley’ in the…
