Matt Birney

Classic Minerals has only one hurdle left to clear now to develop its Kat Gap gold mine near Southern Cross after being given a permit to clear native vegetation for its mine and processing plant in WA’s goldfields. The company only needs regulatory approval for its mining proposal now including the mine closure plan before it can kick its operation into gear.

ASX-listed explorer Zuleika Gold is set to embark on major expansionary drilling programs across its Kalgoorlie gold projects. After a significant effort in 2021, the company is gearing up to plough an additional 20,000 metres into the ground for what will ultimately be a serious 40,000m campaign over two years for the Mark Creasy backed junior.

ASX-listed junior explorer Metal Hawk has hit serious paydirt again at its Berehaven project, 20 kilometres south-east of Kalgoorlie in the West Australian Goldfields. Assays have confirmed a high-grade gold zone of five metres grading 7.2 grams per tonne gold is sitting below the company’s high-grade nickel zone identified last year. Promisingly, mineralisation remains open in all directions.

Trigg Mining has placed an additional $700,000 worth of shares following an oversubscribed $3.3 million share placement that received attention from new and existing investors, boosting the total capital raise to $4m. The extra proceeds will increase Trigg’s cash reserves to a formidable $7m, putting it in a strong position to progress its pre-feasibility study at the company’s Lake Throssel sulphate of potash project in WA.

Base metals and gold junior Todd River Resources has joined the ever-increasing ranks of explorers suffering from slowdowns at Australian assay labs as it waits for results from recent drilling. The company is eager to get follow-up work on the Berkshire Valley project underway prior to the start of this year’s crop seeding season as its nickel copper palladium group project sits in WA’s wheatbelt.

ASX-listed junior explorer Askari Metals is enjoying some early success at its newly acquired Barrow Creek Lithium Project in the renowned Arunta pegmatite province of the Northern Territory. Spontaneous sampling whilst the company was performing due diligence in its acquisition of the project revealed rocks running at an encouraging 817 parts per million lithium oxide. Askari is now gearing up for further exploration.

Infinity Lithium has chalked off another breakthrough at its San José lithium project in Spain after a metallurgical test work program proved successful in scaling up the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide ahead of a looming feasibility study. The work is funded by EIT Innoenergy and aimed at developing a more sustainable refining technology for lithium mineralogies.

Battery metals developer AVZ Minerals is set to plough $25 million into an early works program and exploration drilling campaign at its Manono lithium and tin project in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa. The outlay follows a $75 million cash injection from a heavily oversubscribed capital raise and aims to fund the company’s shift to lithium production.

ASX-listed ABx Group is targeting more metallics in Tasmania after unveiling a new high-grade rare earths prospect 52 kilometres east of its Deep Leads REE prospect in Tasmania. According to the company, the results from the newly discovered Portrush prospect include 581 parts per million neodymium and a solid 4,800 ppm total rare earth oxides over a one metre mineralised section from 11 metres.