Commodities

The latest metallurgical results from the Merelani East project, the second graphite project in line for development by Kibaran Resources, certainly give plenty of grounds for optimism. Testing has confirmed high distribution of large flake graphite with very high grade carbon concentrates recovered from simple flotation. That means the quality of the graphite is good…

By Amy McLellan The patience of investors in Bowleven has been sorely tested many times over the years but, more than ten years since its IPO, it looks like that patience will soon be rewarded.This week the Cameroon-focused E&P announced that a key milestone has been reached, with the Presidential decree for its Etinde transaction…

By Alastair Ford The story of the Madagascan mining opportunity presented by Tantalus Rare Earths has a long history, according to chief executive officer Thomas Hoyer. “It’s in an area that has been explored over many years by many companies”, he tells Minesite on the phone from Germany, where he’s based. “There was Soviet exploration.…

By Amy McLellan There has been disappointment for Wentworth Resources after the Oslo- nd AIM-listed company announced the Kifaru-1 exploration well in the Rovuma Onshore Concession in northern Mozambique has come back empty handed. Kifaru-1, operated by Anadarko Petroleum, the US independent powerhouse behind the giant gas fields found in the deep waters offshore, was…

By Alastair Ford Towards the end of last year it all looked to be going so well for Oracle Coal. The company signed up a major Chinese backer in September and for the first time investors could really get a feel for how the company planned to go forwards with its plans for a mine…

By Our Man in Oz The world of mining can be loosely divided into two camps: one occupied by pessimists who are working in the mines and the other by optimists who are the explorers with a ticket to roam free. Grasp that simple human demarcation and you will also understand why an Explorers Conference…

By Stewart Dalby We have been tracking Nighthawk Energy for some years now, particularly in the last two half years as head of the erstwhile broken Nighthawk, Stephen Gutteridge and his team, put the pieces back together and revived the AIM- listed company’s fortunes. When this team took over, effectively late in 2012, the AIM…

By Amy McLellan Two hundred and fifteen is a key year for Azonto Petroleum, with the FID on its Gazelle project in Cote d’Ivoire looming mid-year. The company, which is dual listed on AIM and the ASX, is hunkering down until then, shedding new business initiatives, cutting head count and reducing G&A in order to…

By Alastair Ford “Towards the end of last year, there were two things we needed to do”, says Ormonde Mining’s Kerr Anderson. “Get the project permitted, and get the project funded.” Sounds simple when you say it like that, and indeed Ormonde’s newsflow since that time makes it look fairly simple too. The mining concession…

By Alastair Ford “It’s obviously a bit disappointing”, says Stratex’s Bob Foster. He’s talking about the latest update from the company’s joint-ventured Altintepe gold project in Turkey, currently under construction, but which has been the subject of delays due to severe rains and bad weather. It had been hoped that the first gold pour from…