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…
Ora Gold Limited has announced a significant update to the mineral resource estimate (MRE) for the Crown Prince Prospect at its flagship Garden Gully Gold Project, located in the heart of the prolific Murchison gold district near Meekatharra, Western Australia. The total resource at Crown Prince has now reached 240,000 ounces of gold at a grade of 4.1g/t Au, a considerable growth from its 2019 estimate. Notably, 68 per cent of these ounces fall within the Indicated JORC category, highlighting the enhanced drill density and improved geological understanding of the prospect. This advancement underscores the prospect's strong open pit mining potential,…
Intra Energy Corporation Limited has begun a comprehensive soil geochemical survey at its Maggie Hays Hill Project in Western Australia's Lake Johnston Province. It marks a significant step in the exploration of historical gold and lithium targets within the project area. Following the acquisition of the Maggie Hays Hill (MHH) lithium and gold project, preliminary rock sampling conducted in December unveiled highly anomalous levels of tantalum, with a maximum of 390 ppm, and niobium, with a maximum of 482 ppm. These findings, reported in an ASX release on 17 January 2024, underscore the potential of the area and necessitate a comprehensive…
Victory Metals Limited has today announced the results of its recent metallurgical test work conducted on the North Stanmore Rare Earth Element (REE)Project — situated 10 kilometres north of Cue, Western Australia. The optimised mixed rare earth carbonate metallurgy concentrate from North Stanmore has shown great proportions of dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb), with Dy constituting 73.6 per cent and Tb 10 per cent of the concentrate. This composition contrasts with the figures from the commissioning Serra Verde, Pela Ema Project mixed REE concentrate product — which contains 9.4 per cent Dy and 1.6 per cent Tb. Victory Metals said…
In partnership with Shah Deniz, BP has just announced the start-up of the new $28-billion project Shah Deniz 2, a landmark new gas development in Azerbaijan which will enable the first commercial gas delivery to Turkey. The project is set to start on time and on-budget. Shah Deniz 2 is set to be the first subsea development in the Caspian Sea, also forming the largest subsea infrastructure operated by BP worldwide. The project forms the beginning of the Southern Gas Corridor series of pipelines, delivering natural gas to the Caspian Sea and directly to European markets for the first time.…
Australian Oil and Gas company Calima Energy Limited has undertaken a strategic review of current and near-term investments in gas pipeline capacity relevant to the Montney Formation in Western Canada. “Calima is fast approaching the point where it will be drilling its first wells on the Calima Lands and it was therefore considered prudent to review the factors affecting the market both in terms of price and ease of access to infrastructure,” commented Calima Energy Managing Director, Alan Stein. The review identified over C$70 billion (approximately A$72 billion) of proposed infrastructure investments which have the potential to add over…
Nautilis Minerals Inc. has just announced the commencement of their wet-testing program for a new seafloor diamond drill rig. Nautilus’ rig, which is nicknamed the ‘Hobbit’ has met preliminary targets in a series of land-based trials, of which were largely focusing on rod handling, functional drilling and stability testing. Nautilus’ wet-test program is set to occur over a two-week period, expanding the testing parameters to include submerged operations and mechanical endurance. The Canadian registered company was the first to explore the ocean floor for polymetallic seafloor massive sulphide deposit (the sulphide deposit prospect is in Papua New Guinea and…
Global engineering firm, DRA, has successfully secured a contract with Sierra Rutile Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Iluka Resources Limited, for the expansion of its mineral sands operations in the Bonthe District of Sierra Leone. Sierra Rutile’s Gangama plant, which was originally constructed by DRA in 2016, will double its capacity to 1000-1200tph at the project’s completion. The project also includes the expansion of the Lanti front end circuit; and the refurbishment of the Lanti floating concentrator. “We are excited to continue our longstanding partnership with Sierra Rutile, which has included three feasibility studies and two engineering, procurement, and…
Lithium Power International Limited’s 50% owned Chilean joint venture company Minera Salar Blanco (MSB), responsible for developing the Maricunga Lithium Brine Project, has been awarded a key regulatory export licence by the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission (CCHEN) to produce, market and export lithium products from Chile that are extracted from the Maricunga salar. MSB was granted a significant extraction quota on 9 March 2018 to export lithium from Chile. The quota has a term of 30 years and covers brine extracted from Maricunga, containing 88,885 metric tonnes of metallic lithium in brine or 472,868 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE).…
Construction at the US$80-million Epanko project in Tanzania is expected to commence next year. Following mining and processing, Epanko will produce a high-grade graphite concentrate. The proponent, the Australian company Kibaran Resources, is also looking at a further processing step, to produce graphite suitable for lithium-ion batteries. Because of their use in electric vehicles, such batteries present a strongly-growing market for graphite. Australia is the largest foreign investor in mining in Africa. Epanko is one of several dozen Australian projects that have progressed beyond an early exploration stage. There are many more at an early stage. According to one estimate,…
5G technology from Ericsson could soon be used to improve communication and remote control operations in the Swedish mines. A project designed to improve productivity and safety in traditionally dangerous environments is being run by Ericsson, ABB, Boliden, SICS Swedish ICT and Volvo Construction Equipment. In the pilot phase of the project, a 5G development system consisting of new and existing technologies will be used to remotely control a Volvo truck used for transporting ore within the mine. The actual location for the pilot is still to be chosen from a shortlist of mines operated by Boliden. The successful implementation…
