Public Company News

Galan Lithium has turned down a US$150 million (A$240M) cash offer from a Chinese-French combo to acquire its lithium brine projects in Argentina, labelling the proposal “opportunistic” and “undervalued”. The market responded swiftly, with Galan's shares soaring more than 50 per cent to a high of 16c per share - defying the broader ASX index and lithium market sentiment.

GreenTech Metals and Artemis Resources have teamed up to form Andover Lithium, creating a massive 420-square-kilometre lithium exploration venture in Western Australia's highly prospective West Pilbara region. By consolidating their lithium assets into one joint venture, the duo now holds the largest exploration package in the area - boosting the companies' appeal to major funding partners drawn to the landholding's scale and potential.

ASX-listed video tech innovator Atomos Limited has struck a savvy new $13.7 million debt deal - wiping out its old facility and dodging any shareholder dilution in the process. The move also delivers a fresh shot of $5M in working capital, as the company eyes a return to positive cash flow within the next year.

Novo Resources will launch a 2000m reverse circulation drilling program this month at Tibooburra in northwestern NSW to test high grade gold results from soil and rock chip geochemistry and other exploration. Recent surface sampling at the Clone prospect produced results of 89.6g/t and 41.9g/t gold in mullock around old workings and 31.4g/t and 10.4g/t gold from quartz vein outcrop along a 700m strike.

Javelin Minerals has taken the final hurdle ahead of drilling at its Eureka gold project, 50km north of Kalgoorlie, by completing of a heritage survey that clears the path for a maiden 3000m reverse circulation drill program. The company has a rig secured and ready to target extensions of high-grade lodes and a series of untested anomalies around the existing high-grade pit.

Shares in Buru Energy soared as much as 36 per cent on the open to 4.9 cents after the company inked a game-changing deal with a private LNG processing and supply firm to fund and build an LNG plant at its Rafael-1 gas discovery in WA's Canning Basin. The deal could see Buru transition from explorer to producer with saleable gas potentially flowing from Rafael by the second half of 2027.

Horizon Minerals is on a tear after toll treating the first 37,000t of ore from its Phillips Find JV in the WA Goldfields and 50,604t from its Boorara mine to bank a cool $12.9M. With gold prices soaring to US$3,122 (A$5000) per ounce, Horizon's timing could not be better.

St George Mining has delivered a maiden resource estimate for its Araxa carbonatite-hosted niobium and rare earths deposit from the world's premier niobium-producing region in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The estimate comprises a globally significant deposit containing 280,000 tonnes of niobium pentoxide and 1.7 million tonnes of total rare earth oxides, which are both in high global demand.

Pilot Energy has boosted its WA Leander prospective gas resource by a whopping 250 per cent to an estimated 1116 billion cubic feet of gas and 18 million barrels of condensate. The upgrade to the resource followed a detailed review of offset wells, including onshore exploration and appraisal wells, in addition to remapping of 2D seismic data.

Meeka Metals has installed its newly acquired 750kW per hour ball mill at its 1.2-million-ounce Murchison gold project development, 50km north of Meekatharra in the Murchison Goldfields in Western Australia. The ball mill is arguably the heart of the processing plant, and its installation is sure to be celebrated, although it is but one item in Meeka's dizzying inventory.

Aurum Resources has taken a key step towards the establishment of an open pit mining operation at its Boundiali project in Cote d'Ivoire following the appointment of local specialist consultancy firm Envitech to undertake an environmental and social impact study of the venture. The study will cover five deposits within the company's BD, BM and BST (Nyangboue) licences, which make up three of the company's four tenement areas.

Thunderbird Resources has kicked off exploration at the company's Rockvale and Kookabookra gold, silver and antimony projects in NSW's northern Tablelands after getting access to priority target areas. The company's initial focus will be on targets that have historical high-grade assay results as it doubles down on its gold presence in the state.