Latest Pilot Plant News

Patagonia Lithium (ASX:PL3) reported solid progress in its June quarter, hitting key milestones in drilling, pump testing, and resource modelling at its Argentine lithium brine projects, supported by a strong cash position following recent capital raises.

Fortuna Metals has declared a maiden mineral resource at its Mkanda project in Malawi, ranking it among the top six rutile deposits worldwide, while locking in a strategic US investment of A$8.6 million from WNDR to boost market exposure.

Meteoric Resources has signed a strategic partnership with POSCO International to advance the development and commercial production of rare earths at the Caldeira project in Brazil, aiming to secure a resilient supply chain for Korea.

Firebird Metals has validated its proprietary Lithium Manganese Rich (LMR) cathode materials, achieving discharge capacities on par with commercial references and significantly surpassing conventional LFP and high-nickel NCM cathodes. This milestone underscores Firebird's integrated battery materials strategy and sets the stage for advanced optimisation at its Australian Demonstration Plant.

Tivan Limited has locked in key investment frameworks worth up to $50 million for its Molyhil Tungsten Project and confirmed premium acidgrade fluorspar production at Speewah, underpinning strong project economics and strategic partnerships.

Argosy Minerals is progressing its 12,000tpa Rincon Lithium Project in Argentina with robust feasibility testwork validating its process flowsheet and securing a 40MW power supply, underpinning its upcoming Definitive Feasibility Study.

Meteoric Resources has significantly boosted its Caldeira Rare Earth Project with a 246% increase in Measured Resources and pilot plant recoveries surpassing pre-feasibility targets, backed by a $40 million capital raise and advancing environmental approvals.

RareX Limited and Iluka Resources have progressed to the Request for Proposal stage for the Mrima Hill Niobium and Rare Earths Project in Kenya, backed by a A$1.65 billion Australian Government loan for downstream refining.

Victory Metals has delivered a major processing breakthrough with a 59-fold upgrade to a 7.1% Total Rare Earth Oxide concentrate from its North Stanmore project, backed by strategic partnerships and government funding.

Argosy Minerals has successfully concentrated lithium brine from its Rincon project by up to six times in pilot-scale evaporation tests, bolstering confidence in its Definitive Feasibility Study and production targets.

Critical Minerals Group’s Pre-Feasibility Study for its Lindfield Vanadium Project delivers a robust $821 million pre-tax NPV and 26.6% IRR, setting the stage for a Definitive Feasibility Study and potential final investment decision in 2027.

Iondrive appoints ex-BHP innovation chief Dr Grant Caffery as CEO, signalling a pivot from development to commercial scale-up following strong rare earth recovery results and a US$15 million Oklahoma funding pathway.