Andrew Duffy

Reach Resources’ imminent maiden drill campaign at its Bonzer pegmatite field in Western Australia’s Gascoyne region now has new intrigue attached after the company unveiled soil samples going as high as 759ppm lithium oxide. Assays came in at an average of 128ppm lithium oxide, suggesting a strong, coherent lithium anomaly extending more than 1.5km along strike and 700m in width and remaining open.

Empire Energy Group has revealed a new deal with infrastructure specialists APA Group to progress gas transport solutions for its Carpentaria gas project in the Northern Territory. The company says it is now planning two stages of development for the project, which has the potential to service the Top End and east coast of Australia with more than 500 terajoules of power per day.

Buru Energy says commercialisation of its Rafael gas-condensate discovery in Western Australia’s Canning Basin will service the Kimberley’s power needs at reduced capital expenditure through phased development. It says the development is viable for all contingent resource volumes as it moves ahead with de-risking subsurface uncertainties and firming up volumetric estimates, with an imminent 3D seismic survey to be followed by appraisal well drilling next year.

Perth-based 88 Energy has bolstered its 100 per cent-owned Peregrine oil project in Alaska, adding two new reservoir intervals to its Harrier prospect, with 180.1 million barrels of oil as a best-case estimate. Basin modelling has also revealed that Harrier sits in an area of good reservoir quality and will be tested by the drillbit as a priority.

Triangle Energy will ramp up its oil and gas chase after receiving $15 million from Pilot Energy for the sale of its share in the Cliff Head oilfield and carbon reinjection joint venture in waters off the Dongara coastline in Western Australia’s Mid West. The consideration will be paid in three stages and is expected to be completed early next year.

Godolphin Resources has applied for a huge 112-square-kilometre package of prospective rare earths ground next to its 94.9-million-tonne Narraburra project going 739 parts per million total rare earth oxides in New South Wales. The company believes its world-class mineralisation may extend into its new ground, which it plans to actively explore once the application is approved by the NSW Government.

Perth-based explorer Emu NL is poised to drill a network of clay-filled, rare earths-prospective channels up to 6km wide and down to 100m in depth at its wholly-owned Condingup project near Esperance on Western Australia’s picturesque south coast. Outcropping source rocks proved fertile and the company plans to drill its clays in September, with assays due in October.

Auric Mining has the first gold pour from its Jeffreys Find gold project near Norseman in Western Australia at its fingertips, with management confirming it had started milling its first batch of ore. The company’s first 30,000 tonnes of ore will be processed at the Greenfields Mill in Coolgardie by end of this month, with another 100,000 tonnes waiting at the mine ready for trucking.

Godolphin Resources has received almost $600,000 in exploration tax credits for this financial year, following a successful application to the Australian Federal Government’s Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive (JMEI) program. The credits will support exploration across the company’s enviable landholding in the Lachlan Fold Belt in NSW, where it this month increased its rare earths resource grade by 126 per cent at its Narraburra project.