M Metals Acquisition

Who Is Patrice Merrin? The Board Chair Behind Metals Acquisition

New Member Introduction – Happy To Join The Community

Vault Minerals Approves $80m Expansion At King Of The Hills Vault Minerals (Asx: Vau) Has Signed Off On An $80 Million Expansion Of Its King Of The Hills (Koth) Gold Operation Near Leonora, Aiming To Lift Processing Capacity And Unlock More Of The District’S Long-Life Potential. New Crusher And Mill Upgrades: The Project Centres On A New Primary Crusher, New Tanks In The Cip Circuit, And Upgrades Across The Wet Plant. A Fresh Crushing Circuit Will Be Built 110 Metres West Of The Existing One To Avoid Interrupting Current Production. These Changes Are Designed To Reduce Bottlenecks And Support A Lift To 6 Million Tonnes Per Annum. Tapping A Massive Stockpile: Vault Is Currently Mill-Constrained, With A 7.3-Million-Tonne Stockpile Beside The Plant Holding More Than 108,000 Ounces Of Gold. The Expansion Allows Faster Processing Of This Ore And Better Use Of The Company’S Multiple Feed Sources. Strong Reserve Base: King Of The Hills And Nearby Operations Host: 2.24moz Ore Reserves 6.02moz Mineral Resources This Underpins A Base Case 10-Year Mine Life And Supports Future Growth Across The Leonora Region. Construction Timeline: Work Is Expected To Begin In April 2025, With Commissioning Targeted For Q4 Fy26. Gr Engineering Services Completed The Design And Cost Study For The Expansion. Positioning For Leonora’S Next Gold Wave: With Higher Capacity, Major Infrastructure Already In Place, And Renewed Underground Exploration, Vault Minerals Sees Koth As A Key Driver For The Next Phase Of Growth In The Leonora Gold District. Cover Image: Data Sio, Noaa, U.S. Navy, Nga, Gebco. Image Landsat / Copernicus. Processing Plant Image: © Vault Minerals.

Bhp’S $1.4 Billion Push To Lift Port Hedland Capacity Bhp Is Investing $1.4 Billion To Upgrade Infrastructure At Port Hedland, The World’S Largest Bulk Export Port And The Backbone Of Australia’S Iron-Ore Industry. This Port Handles The Ore That Arrives From Bhp’S Giant Pilbara Mines — Brought In By Some Of The Longest Freight Trains On Earth. With Global Demand Rising And Competition Heating Up, Bhp Is Preparing The Port For Its Next Phase Of Growth. New Rail-Car Dumper And 5km Conveyors The Major Upgrade Includes: A New Sixth Rail-Car Dumper Around Five Kilometres Of New Conveyors Upgrades To Screening And Transfer Infrastructure These Additions Are Designed To Move Ore From Train To Ship Faster, Safer And With Fewer Bottlenecks, Supporting Bhp’S Long-Term Target Of 305 Million Tonnes Per Year. A Strategic Response To Rising Competition Bhp’S Investment Comes As Rio Tinto And Chinese-Backed Groups Expand Operations In Africa, Including Major New Iron-Ore Developments In Guinea. Those Projects Could Shift Global Supply Balances Over The Next Decade. Increasing Throughput At Port Hedland Is Part Of Bhp’S Effort To Maintain Its Position As A Leading Low-Cost Iron-Ore Producer. Is It Enough To Stay Ahead? The Expansion Will Boost Efficiency And Help Stabilise Output Across Bhp’S Pilbara Network. But With New African Mines Edging Closer And Long-Term Demand Uncertain, The Question Remains: Will This $1.4 Billion Upgrade Secure Bhp’S Lead — Or Will More Investment Be Needed To Stay In Front?

$100 Million Plan To Boost Copper Output In North Queensland Major Upgrade At Eloise Mine Aic Mines Is Investing Around $100 Million Into Expanding The Eloise Copper Mine, Located South-East Of Mount Isa In North Queensland. The Project Aims To Modernise The Older Underground Operation And Bring New Life To The Site. Jericho Deposit Set To Drive Growth A Key Part Of The Plan Is The Development Of The Nearby Jericho Deposit. Once Opened, Jericho Is Expected To Send About 600,000 Tonnes Of Ore Each Year Into Eloise’S Processing Plant. Bigger Plant, Bigger Production To Handle The Extra Ore, Aic Mines Is Expanding The Processing Plant To 1.1 Million Tonnes A Year. Together, The Eloise And Jericho Operations Could Produce Around 20,000 Tonnes Of Copper Annually, Creating A New Copper Hub In The Mount Isa Region. A Potential Boost For Queensland’S Copper Belt With Global Demand For Copper Growing, The Combined Project Could Become A Significant Contributor To The State’S Critical Minerals Industry. Whether This $100 Million Move Sparks Queensland’S Next Copper Boom Remains To Be Seen, But It Marks A Major Step For Aic Mines And The Region’S Mining Future.

Bc8’S $36m Paulsens Gold Mine Restart: Is The Gamble Paying Off? Black Cat Syndicate (Asx:Bc8) Committed $36 Million To Restart The Historic Paulsens Gold Mine In Western Australia’S Pilbara Region. The Company’S 2024 Restart Study Pointed To Strong Grades, Improved Mining Plans, And The Potential For A Major Lift In Operating Cashflow. First Gold Arrives Ahead Of Schedule By December 2024, Paulsens Had Already Poured Its First Gold Under Black Cat’S Ownership. This Marked A Major Milestone For A Mine That Had Previously Been On Care And Maintenance. Early Production Results Aligned With Expectations And Helped Build Momentum Into 2025. Drilling Strengthens The Case Through 2025, Drilling Across The Project Continued To Return Positive Results. New Intercepts Supported Extensions To Known Lodes And Reinforced The Company’S Belief In The Long-Term Potential Of The Paulsens System. Gold Prices Provide A Tailwind The Restart Has Come At A Time Of Strong Gold Prices, Giving Black Cat A Favourable Market Backdrop. Higher Margins And Stronger Cashflow Potential Have Helped Make The Restart More Compelling. New Ground And Ore Deals Add Scale In Addition To Mine Performance, Black Cat Secured New Exploration Ground And Ore-Supply Agreements With Dreadnought Resources. These Deals Give Paulsens Additional Feed Flexibility And Strengthen The Project’S Growth Pathway. Is The $36m Gamble Working? Early Signs Suggest The Restart Is Tracking Well: Gold Poured, Positive Drilling, Growing Production, And Supportive Market Conditions. While It’S Still Early In The Mine’S New Life, The Combination Of Grade, Scale, And Partnerships Indicates The Paulsens Comeback May Only Just Be Beginning.