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Downstream Refinery Brings Significant Value-Add

Downstream Refinery: BSX strategy is to build a downstream refinery (Ta Khoa Refinery or TKR) in Vietnam to produce Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) precursor for the booming Lithium-ion battery industry. The PFS results released late July considers a 400,000 tpa feed of nickel concentrate. About half of the feed will come from a new 6 mtpa Ban Phuc concentrator and the other half needs to be purchased from third-parties with the assistance of Trafigura, a global metals trader.New Upstream Con...

Development Ready Project at the Right Time

Definitive Feasibility Study: The DFS results demonstrate a robust project with some enviable characteristics: simple flow chart, low capex, low capital intensity, low operating costs, quality product and proximity to port and markets, resulting in an excellent NPV/capex ratio. Financing: The completion of the DFS opens the path to financing which is likely to be predominantly a combination of debt project finance from mining banks, prepayment or other financing arrangements linked to ...

Australian Silica Sand

While silica sand is one of the most plentiful naturally occurring minerals on the Earth, high grade silica sand is relatively rare and experiencing a booming demand. This is because high purity sand requires very low impurities such as sulphides and iron will that cause imperfections. Demand: High-tech applications such as fibre-optics, LCD panels, LED lights and solar panels require ultra-clear glass produced with high purity silica sand. Supply: At present, there is a...

Potential Discovery of a Copper Porphyry Shaping Up

Exploration Results: Follow-up air-core drilling at the Toora West prospect, ~15km north-west of Thursday’s Gossan, has returned further strong indications of an underlying copper porphyry system. In March 2021, Stavely Minerals completed a first-pass 32-hole air-core drilling program at Toora West. The program was designed as wide-spaced reconnaissance drilling on 400m spaced lines and 200m collars on the lines. Based on the visual observations of chalcopyrite, secondary chalcocite and molybd...

Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for Mt Flora

Resource in Upper Range: On 29 June 2021, DEX announced an inferred maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) at Mt Flora of 16 Mt at an average grade of 0.5% Cu and 6.9 g/t Ag, reported at a 0.2% Cu-equivalent cut-off grade. As mentioned in our company profile published on 18th May 2021, the MRE stands at the upper range of the Exploration Target included in the Prospectus from October 2020: 5 to 12 million tonnes at 0.5 to 0.7% Cu for 27,000-96,000 tonnes of copper, 5-15g/t Ag for ...

Large Scale Copper Project in the Making with Low Exploration Risk

Duke Exploration Ltd (ASX: DEX) is a mineral exploration and development company, with a 100% interest in the flagship Bundarra copper project in Queensland. The mineral field was recognised as the highest-grade copper district in Australia in the 1800s; there are 47 historic workings, including underground mines, across the tenement. DEX listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in Nov. 2020 after raising $8m. The key elements of DEX strategy are: Develop an indicated (+inferred) minera...

Getting a Taste of a nearby Copper Porphyry

Geological Model: Beyond the assay results, which are borderline economic, the combination of mineralisation and alteration observed points to the signature of the outer “ring” of a porphyry intrusion.Mineralisation is associated with epidote alteration, indicating a possible inner- propylitic position, while quartz veins display ‘pinking’ on the margins, likely a potassic feldspar selvedge to the veins, indicating a more proximal outer- potassic signature (see Sillitoe model, next ...

Initiation of Coverage

Following the successful and value accretive merger with Blackspur Oil Corp (BOC), Calima Energy (CE1) emerges as an oil & gas company underpinned by strong production with operations focused in Alberta, Canada. The company has 5.4 mmboe of Proved Developed Producing reserves, 16.7 mmboe of 1P reserves, 22.5 mmboe of 2P reserves and 192.4 mmboe of contingent resources. Current production comes to 3,000 boe/d with a very low break-even price of WTI US$26/bbl.2021-2022 will be catalyst rich for CE...

New High Grade Ni-Cu Discovery – Could it Be the Big One?

After discovering a number of high grade pods close to surface along the Cathedrals Belt, SGQ is aiming to discover larger accumulations of nickel-copper (+cobalt+PGE) mineralisation beyond the 300m depth level. These are still early days but the proof of concept is now confirmed and the targets are there to be drilled. In parallel, SGQ is progressing the development of the Stricklands mineral resource (the closest one to surface) into a low-capex, low-opex, high margin operation. Development sh...

On Track for Drilling in June - Aiming for a World Class Discovery

The identification of an outcropping ultramafic intrusion hosting disseminated sulphides within the Kabanga NE target area bodes well for the upcoming drilling program starting in June 2021....

An Outstanding Copper Project in a Tier-1 Jurisdiction

Stavely Minerals Limited (ASX: SVY) is a mineral resource company currently focused on the exploration and development of the Stavely copper-gold-silver project in western Victoria. Discovered in Sep 2019, the Cayley Lode shows some strong similarities with the Butte (Montana) and Magma (Arizona) deposits.  The key elements of SVY current strategy are as follows: Explore/drill the strike and down-plunge extensions of the Cayley Lode (and other lodes) as well as untested new targetsContinue ...

Fast Tracking Exploration Aiming for a World Class Discovery

Adavale Resources Ltd (ASX: ADD) is a mineral exploration and development company currently focused on its recently acquired, 100% owned, Kabanga Jirani Project in Tanzania. The project consists of six granted licences and one application covering nearly 1,145km2. These licences are adjacent and along strike one of the world’s largest and richest undeveloped nickel sulphide resource, namely the Kabanga Nickel Deposit, which contains a mineral resource of 58Mt @ 2.62% Ni. The key elements ...

Blackstone Minerals company profile

Blackstone Minerals Ltd (ASX: BSX) is a mineral exploration and development company, with a 90% interest in the Ta Khoa district scale nickel project in Vietnam. BSX is actively exploring and developing the project which will include the refining of nickel-cobalt concentrate into a NCM precursor to satisfy the demand of its strategic partner Ecopro and potentially other battery manufacturers. BSX pursues a two-fold strategy:1. Increase the mineral resource at the Ban Phuc disseminated&...

Vietnam Snapshot, Economy, Mineral Wealth and EV Developments

The 2-page note provides an introduction to Vietnam, its economy, mineral wealth and ambition for EV supply chain development....

Tesla - Yahua Effects

Flash Note: the Tesla-Yahua Effects.This is a simple analysis of the effects of the recent Tesla and Yahua deals on the ASX-listed companies involved: Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO), Galaxy Resources Ltd (ASX: GXY) and Piedmont Lithium Ltd (ASX: PLL). ...

Ionic Rare Earths on track to deliver a world class high value Heavy REE project

Among the rare earths projects, Ionic Rare Earths Ltd (ASX: IXR is on track to deliver a world class project with a high proportion of heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium which is where there is better value....

High Quality Lithium Project at the Door Step of Battery Manufacturers

Here is a company profile on Core Lithium Ltd (ASX: CXO), which is well placed to become the next Australian lithium producer, thanks to a very affordable capex and a quality coarse grain spodumene concentrate....

Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA) company profile

Nova Minerals Ltd (ASX:NVA FSE:QM3 OTCQB:NVAAF) is a mineral resource company based in Australia with a current focus on exploration and development in the Tintina Gold Province in Alaska. The Estelle Gold Project (85% NVA) shows strong similarities with adjacent high margin gold mines such as Eagle (Victoria Gold Corp. VGCX.TSX) and Fort Knox (Kinross Gold Corporation K.TSX).The key elements of NVA strategy are as follows:Undertake resource drilling to increase the confidence and size of the ma...

Just Drill It... to Add More Gold Ounces

Tintina Gold Belt: The Estelle Gold project is located in a world-class district within the premier Tintina Gold Belt (Alaska) that hosts >220 Moz in mostly bulk tonnage, low grade but high margin deposits.Geological Model: Estelle is a near-surface Intrusion Related Gold System (IRGS) deposit. The Tintina Gold Belt contains a number of IRGS deposits with low grade multi-million ounces gold mineral resources:Fort Knox (5.6 Moz @ 0.3 g/t Au resource) operated by Kinross (K.TSX, marke...

Strategic Highly Prospective Gold, Copper-Gold and Polymetallic Assets - Minotaur Exploration (ASX: MEP) company profile part 3/3

Minotaur Exploration Ltd (ASX: MEP) is a mineral resource company with a portfolio of exploration and development projects and a 50% interest in a new technology venture. MetalProjectStateOwnersEloise JVQldOZL 70%, MEP 30%Copper-GoldJericho JVQldOZL 80%, MEP 20%Breena Plains JFQldSFR 100%, OZL/MEP to earn up to 75%Copper-GoldPeake & DenisonSAMEP 100%HighlandsQldMEP 100%GoldPyramidQldMEP 100% (New acquisition)WindsorQldMEP 100%Industrial MineralsGreat White Kaolin JVSAADN 51%, MEP 49%ADN earning ...

Nickel Market Update

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Nickel Sulphide Acquisition with Outstanding Grades

Auroch Minerals Limited (ASX: AOU) has signed a binding agreement with Eastern Coolgardie Goldfields Pty Ltd (ECG) to acquire the Nepean Nickel Project located near Coolgardie in Western Australia for a total consideration of $4m in cash ($2.5m) and shares (8.3m @ $0.18). The project contains the historic high-grade Nepean nickel sulphide mine, which produced 32,303t of nickel metal at an average recovered grade of 2.99% Ni between 1970 and 1987. Historic extensional drilling along strike from t...

Scoping Study shows Tremendous Value-Add from Downstream Processing

Race to NCM precursor: while six drill rigs are still currently spinning, Blackstone Minerals Limited released a stepping stone scoping study focused on the Ban Phuc disseminated sulphide mineralisation recently discovered at the Ta Khoa project in Vietnam, with an vertically integrated project including the refining of nickel-cobalt concentrate into a NCM precursor to satisfy the demand of its strategic partner Ecopro and potentially other battery manufacturers.Mineral Resource: Indicated 44.3M...

Panoramic Resources (ASX: PAN) company profile

Panoramic Resources Ltd (ASX: PAN) is a base metal mining company, currently focused on the pre-production development of the Savannah nickel sulphide project in Western Australia. Underground development started in Aug 2020 and nickel, copper, cobalt concentrate production is scheduled to re-start mid-2021 for a period of 13 years.The key elements of PAN strategy are as follows: Reach commercial production at Savannah (North)Explore Savannah near-mine and regional areas, both containi...

EV industry's demand for nickel in doubt due to oversupply, economic concerns

Nickel sulphate image source: IndiaMART. Just had the opportunity to add some words to this S&P Global news article (link below). Note it should read "the nickel price boom occurring in within five years”. Please feel free to contact me to discuss....