The NT Independent is providing an update of resource news from across the Northern Territory. Highlights this week include TMS hits a gold “bonanza” at its Bluebird copper-gold prospect, DevEx to put up $17.2m for Nabarlek drilling activities, TNG acquiring the Sandover lithium project in the Territory, and Total Eren signing a hydrogen project MOU with the NT Government.

Total Eren to develop hydrogen project in Darwin

Total Eren has signed an agreement with the NT Government to develop a green hydrogen project in Darwin. The company said the H2 Hub will be a renewable energy generation and hydrogen production plant that will assist both local and global companies to decarbonize through the use of green hydrogen aiding industries attain net-zero emissions.

The H2 Hub has the potential to create more than 2,000 jobs during construction and 175 ongoing jobs during its operation. The Hub will be comprised of more than 2GW of solar PV generation on 4000ha of land providing energy for a 1GW hydrogen electrolyser to produce more than 80,000 tonnes of hydrogen per annum.

The Territory Government’s 2022 budget allocates $5.01 million over four years for accelerated hydrogen industry development. The government said the project will significantly contribute to the Territory’s drive to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Total Eren is a global renewable energy producer, headquartered in Paris with over 3.5 GW of wind and solar power plants and regional offices in the Asia-Pacific region located across Australia (Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane), Indonesia, and Singapore, Philippines, South Korea, Cambodia and Vietnam.

“Total Eren appreciates the Territory’s support on the Darwin H2 Hub and we look forward to working in partnership with the Territory to realise our vision in a net-zero economy,” Australia managing director Kam Ho said.

DevEx to put up $17.2m for Nabarlek drilling activities in NT

DevEx Resources (DEV) said it has received firm commitments to raise $17.2 million through a placement to fund drilling at three of its projects at its Nabarlek project in the NT as well as follow-up drilling at the Junee project in NSW and Sovereign project in WA.

DEV will issue 50.66 million new shares at 34 cents each, representing a 14.3 per cent discount to the five-day volume weighted average price. $2.2 million of the placement is subject to shareholder approval after company directors subscribe to shares.

“With an exciting start to our drilling campaign at Nabarlek, this placement provides DevEx with the balance sheet to build exploration momentum at Nabarlek, alongside aggressive exploration campaigns at both the Junee and Sovereign projects,” DEV managing director Brendan Bradley said.

Mr Bradley said that each of the projects has the opportunity for “company-changing” discoveries.

Tennant Mineral hits gold at Bluebird

Tennant Minerals (TMS) has struck a “bonanza” gold intersection at the Bluebird copper-gold prospect within its Barkly project in the Territory, the company said. The gold windfall came from the first hole of Tennant’s six-hole diamond drill program, designed to scope out and expand a recently-discovered high-grade copper-gold zone. TMS said all six holes intersected intense hematite alteration with visible copper mineralisation, with grades of up to 3.6 per cent copper and 38.5 g/t gold encountered so far.

Results from the drilling so far include 63 metres at 2.1 per cent copper and 4.6 g/t gold from 153 metres, including 27.55 metres at 3.6 per cent copper and 10 g/t gold from 160.45 metres and seven metres at 1.4 per cent copper and 38.5 g/t gold from 181 metres. Tennant said assays for the remaining five holes were pending, and once received, it would construct a 3D model of the mineralised zone to enable fine-tuning for stage two drilling.

TMS also drilled a further two step-out diamond holes to test Bluebird to the west and down-plunge of previous holes. The drilling intersected 64 metres of hematite alteration from 162 metres as well as a 33-metre zone of hematite-magnetite alteration with visual copper from 173 metres.

It will now commence downhole electromagnetics on these two holes to detect in- or off-hole conductors that may be indicative of extensions to or repeats of the Bluebird zone.

TNG buys Sandover lithium project in the Territory

TNG has acquired the Sandover lithium project in the Territory comprising two large tenement packages which are highly prospective for lithium-bearing pegmatites, the company said. The company obtained Sandover for $25,000 per licence, with the sum to be paid on transfer.

The company aims to take on surface rock and soil sampling in the area and has engaged Dr Mike Hussey to begin a spectral and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration imagery interpretation.

The Sandover lithium project lies roughly 50 kilometres southeast of TNG’s Mount Peake project. The two licences cover a total area of 8,151 square kilometres.

“While we remain fully focused on developing the Mount Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project, we want to continue to build up our growth portfolio in battery-related and future strategic metals,” said TNG CEO and managing director Paul Burton.

“The global energy transformation and the move to electric vehicles will see a structural increase in the consumption of metals such as lithium and vanadium. We want to be positioned to take advantage of this surge in demand for both elements.”