NXTmine’s Post

We've increased the overall Mineral Resource of our Kookaburra Gully Graphite Project (KGGP) by 87%, making it the second largest graphite resource on the Eyre Peninsula, confirming our strategic position in Australia’s premier graphite province.   The upgrade is driven by the inaugural Mineral Resource Estimate for the Kookaburra Gully South-West Extended of 5.12Mt at 4.86% TGC (Inferred) and 0.58Mt at 7.73% TGC (Indicated) for total of 293,900 tonnes of contained graphite. The overall KGGP contained graphite has increased by 80% to 896,000 tonnes. A significant strike extent remains untested, with the potential for resource growth.   A three-month drill programme will begin, with an updated KGGP Feasibility Study at higher planned throughput due in the second half of CY24.   CEO Jonathon Trewartha commented: “This is an amazing result for Lincoln Minerals at our Kookaburra Gully Graphite Project, with this important upgrade coming from the South-West Extended deposit, clearly demonstrating the significant scale potential of Lincoln’s Kookaburra Gully Graphite Project.   This significant MRE upgrade now positions Lincoln Minerals with the second largest known graphite resource on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, underscoring the region’s strategic characteristics, as Australia’s premier graphite province.   I am confident that the addition of this inaugural resource, when combined with the next three months drilling at our high-grade Kookaburra Gully and Koppio Deposits will deliver us a resource to support a potential 10-year life of mine at significantly higher production than the 2017 Feasibility Study, which was based on a production rate of 35Ktpa graphite concentrate, and which yielded a IRR of 33%1.   The resource upgrade provides strong momentum for our plans to commence an update to the Feasibility Study expected to commence mid-2024 and is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2024.”   Read the full ASX Announcement here: bit.ly/4adPGgm #ASX #ASXNews #MiningNews #graphite #LML #Lincolnminerals

via The Market Herald Trinex Minerals Limited has received the final assays from a surface geochemical sampling program at its Ross Lake and MAC lithium projects in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Samples were collected over two weeks at the end of the Canadian Summer 2023 field season just north of Yellowknife, an emerging region of critical mineral exploration. #TX3 reported high-grade #lithium interceptions with a notable presence of spodumene crystals in lithium-#caesium-#tantalum (LCT) pegmatites at Ross Lake. Results included 3.31 per cent lithium oxide, 2.27 per cent lithium oxide, and 1.84 per cent lithium oxide from Trinex’s Dyke 75 area, prompting the prospect to become the company’s prime focus for #drilling in 2024. Learn more: https://loom.ly/MVONsdQ #TrinexMinerals #ASX

Brazilian Critical Minerals Limited (ASX:BCM) hits high-grade MREO results, igniting plans for further development at EMO Project in Apui, Brazil 🇧🇷🗓️ "Very high recoveries achieved through standard ammonium sulphate leaching display stunning results which we believe will help deliver the company a sizeable maiden Mineral Resource Estimate over the coming weeks and we are confident that with our ongoing in-house exploration efforts, we can solidify our position in the rare earth sector" "Phase 2 metallurgical characterisation of the Ema prospect is indeed vindication of the company’s view that it holds a world-class, emerging rare earths project," - Brazilian Critical Minerals Managing Director Andrew Reid #ASX #ASXNews #Investing #Mining #Brazil #MREO https://lnkd.in/giyZH8rx Subscribe to the weekly Stock Market Newsletter www.themarketbull.com.au

Exploration is the first step needed to increase the supply of critical minerals. However, domestic exploration faces financial challenges such as limited access to affordable capital and minimal growth in exploration budgets. Glad to have co-authored this important piece with Gregory Wischer and Lyle Trytten that makes a strong case for targeted government support with spending caps. The assistance could help bridge the projected gap between future mineral demand and supply. Please read, share and provide feedback. https://lnkd.in/eCAwup5X

UK equity research house Edison Group initiated coverage of Cobra today. Analyst Andrew Keen writes: “Cobra has several upcoming catalysts that could provide positive newsflow. It has already de-risked its discovery by identifying ionic REE mineralisation with good metallurgical recovery rates to date. It is continuing to prove up ISR as a recovery method and initial indications for scale are positive. Cobra’s market valuation is well below the peers mentioned above and, if it successfully achieves its goals this year (notably defining high recoveries in column leach tests, a maiden resource based on ionic mineralisation and a processing pathway with low reagent usage), this could lead to share price appreciation.” Full note available below. #mining #rareearths #gold #uranium #Australia #SouthAustralia #COBR

Our flagship Kookaburra Gully Graphite Project (KGGP) features in the Australian Critical Minerals Prospectus for 2023, published by Austrade. This inclusion signifies the strategic importance of KGGP, particularly in light of China’s impending graphite export restrictions. The Australian Government has been actively supporting critical minerals projects, as evident in the annual Critical Minerals Prospectus, which provides comprehensive information on advanced projects, including geological, technical, and financial data. Our Kookaburra Gully Graphite Project aligns with key features highlighted in the prospectus, such as a world-class mining industry, a skilled workforce, strong environmental, social, and governance practices, a transparent regulatory environment, and a reliable, secure, and sustainable local critical minerals supply chain. CEO Jonathon Trewartha commented: “It is pleasing to have our Kookaburra Gully Graphite Project featured as one of Australia’s critical minerals projects of note. Against the backdrop of the recently announced China graphite export restrictions, we believe this exposure should build further awareness of the attractiveness and value of our exciting project. "We look forward to commencing our latest drill program at Kookaburra Gully in the weeks ahead and announcing our inaugural Resource for Kookaburra Gully Extension, which is expected to result in a significantly larger Resource that will support an updated feasibility with a significantly higher production rate.” Read the full ASX Announcement here: bit.ly/4a56Vjz #LML #LincolnMinerals #graphite #KookaburraGully #GraphiteProject #CriticalMinerals #Austrade #StrategicImportance #ExportRestrictions

In Defense One, Morgan Bazilian and I argue that the West’s efforts to build new mines and refineries for critical minerals will be challenging given the geological constraints with mining and the technological obstacles with refining. https://lnkd.in/e8bdGn_m To build more mines, companies need profitable deposits, which depend greatly on scale and grade. In the West, most large-scale, high-grade deposits have been discovered or are being mined. The Voisey's Bay discovery in 1993 was arguably the last major nickel sulphide discovery in the West. To build more refineries, companies in the West need the requisite technology. Yet, they often lack the appropriate technology as they ceded the processing in their mineral supply chains to China. With high-pressure acid leaching, for example, Western-run plants often bust budgets, fail to commission on time, and miss production targets. However, Western companies are making advances in mineral extraction and processing—often with government support, such as grants for exploration, loans for processing, and research funding for novel extraction and refining methods. The US Department of Defense, especially Manufacturing Capability Expansion & Investment Prioritization (MCEIP), has been the most active government department. While Western countries currently lack sufficient reserves to satisfy their total mineral demand, they could aim to increase mineral extraction and processing capacity to volumes that meet a good portion of their defense industries’ mineral demand given the national security implications.

Alvo Minerals Ltd (ASX:ALV) has made a major update to their MRE at the high-grade copper-zinc Palma VMS Project in Central Brazil. The updated MRE reveals a 65% increase in high-grade open-pit resources compared to the 2021 MRE. "We are really pleased to deliver such an important upgrade in size and confidence on our Palma Cu-Zn Project in Brazil. “We now have >150kt of CuEq in resources, a size sufficient to consider development options for the Project. The fundamentals of the deposits are sound: high grades near-surface, clean and standard metallurgy, receptive community and access to enviable infrastructure, we are confident that a development pathway can utilise these resources as a solid base." - Alvo's Managing Director Rob Smakman #ASX #ASXNews #Investing #Mining Subscribe to the weekly Stock Market Newsletter www.themarketbull.com.au https://lnkd.in/eMuxPeq5

Australia-based Vital Metals Limited announced it has signed an agreement to sell its stockpiled rare earth material to the Saskatchewan Research Council for $3 million. The sale was facilitated by Natural Resources Canada and “supersedes” a prior transaction announced in December 2023 when China-based Shenghe Resources invested in the company. The federal government previously has forced divestments by other Chinese investors in Canadian critical mineral mining firms. Vital’s stockpiled rare earth material was derived from earlier mining at the company's Tardiff deposit at Nechalacho in the Northwest Territories. Vital conducted a strategic review to investigate potential pathways for the long-term future and viability of its planned rare earth processing facility in Saskatoon. The review concluded that operating the Saskatoon facility wasn’t economically viable under the existing model, and Vital Metals assigned its Vital Metals Canada Limited (VMCL) subsidiary, which owns the Saskatoon facility, into bankruptcy with the sale of VMCL’s property and assets. Vital Metals said it will now focus on developing its Tardif deposit in the N.W.T. The Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Research Council are developing a rare earth processing facility in the province – the first of its kind in Canada. #VitalMetals #RareEarthMinerals #SaskatchewanResearchCouncil #NaturalResourcesCanada #CriticalMinerals #NechalachoDeposit #SaskatoonFacility #SaskatchewanDevelopment #CanadianMining

The United States Department of Defense announced awards of $6.4 million and $8.3 million to Canadian companies Fortune Minerals Limited and Lomiko Metals, Inc. via the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI) program: https://lnkd.in/eixskdv4 The awards will help support the U.S. - Canadian Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals by building resilience in the cobalt and graphite supply chains. In concert with the funding provided by DPAI, the Department of Natural Resources Canada will support the efforts with $5.6 million and $3.6 million to Fortune and Lomiko respectively. “As some of the first awards to Canadian public mining and mineral development companies, these grants exemplify the critical importance of DPA funds, the Department’s partnership with Canada, and our shared commitment to strengthening North American material supply chains,” said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy.   Announced in January 2020, the U.S. - Canadian Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals advances both countries' common interest in strengthening North American critical mineral production needed for defense, aerospace, clean energy, communication, and other key industries. The plan outlines bilateral commitments to collaborate on industrial base investments, public-private partnerships, and other projects to onshore and expand these capabilities. These awards also exemplify the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy in action to continue and expand support for domestic production of critical minerals. #ExpandTheBase #SucceedThroughTeamwork #NDIS