On the Australian Securities Exchange last week, explorers engaged in acquisitions ranging from orchestrating contracts regarding freehold land parcels to securing licences for patented technologies and completing option agreements.
Silver Mines’ (ASX:SVL) wholly owned subsidiary Bowdens Silver has executed a binding contract to acquire a parcel of freehold land adjacent to its flagship Bowdens Silver Project in central New South Wales.
The company will pay a total consideration of $12.5 million in cash for the acquisition of land and water entitlements, of which $1.76 million has already been paid to the vendors.
The final settlement is expected to occur on 24 July 2026, with settlement of two lots subject to finalisation of a possessory title application.
The completion of the acquisition will provide Silver Mines with ownership over 3,345 hectares of freehold land, covering the entire Bowdens Project area and surrounding buffer area with existing leases and land access agreements.
CEO Jo Battershill says the acquisition “demonstrates Silver Mines’ confidence in the future development of the Bowdens Silver Project”.
“The acquisition materially strengthens our land holding position around the project area, supporting our long-term development strategy as we progress the redetermination of the development consent and mining lease approvals,” Battershill says.
“Importantly, the acquisition delivers a number of strategic benefits to the project, including enhanced water security, biodiversity enhancement opportunities, and flexibility for future infrastructure.
“The property also supports ongoing grazing and cropping activities, reflecting our commitment to responsible land stewardship and productive agricultural use.
“Following completion of the acquisition, Silver Mines would have spent more than $45 million on the acquisition of freehold land that, together with our existing land access arrangements, covers the entire Bowdens Silver mine area, including a substantial surrounding buffer, providing a strong foundation for the project’s future development.”
Silver Mines is focused on returning a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for Bowdens in mid-2026.
As reported by Mining.com.au, the New South Wales Supreme Court approved a challenge made against the development of the Bowdens Silver Mine in August 2024.
The court upheld activist group Bingman Catchment Landcare’s appeal against an earlier court ruling allowing the development to proceed.
The action was against the state government’s Independent Planning Commission (IPC) and Bowdens Silver, challenging the development consent for the project approved by the IPC in April 2023.
Located 26km east of Mudgee, the Bowdens Silver Project comprises 2,115km2 of tenure, home to around 80km of strike within the Rylstone Volcanics.
The company describes Bowdens Silver as the “largest undeveloped silver deposit in Australia”.
Acquiring technology
On Wednesday last week (27 May), Lithium Universe (ASX:LU7) secured an exclusive global licence from the University of Edinburgh for a process that recovers gold and copper from electronic waste (e-waste), sourced from computers, phones, and circuit boards.
The gold copper diamide extraction (GCDE) process uses simple, recyclable organic compounds to selectively extract gold and copper with minimal impurities from e-waste.
The process was developed by the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry, capturing and precipitating gold from complex acidic solutions generated in circuit boards and e-waste, before extracting copper using a copper-precipitating agent.
Lithium Universe will pay a 3% royalty on annual gross revenue derived from metal products produced using the technology, holding a licence term for the shorter of the remaining life of the last patent or 20 years from the commencement date.
The company will pay £20,000 ($37,623) upfront, reimburse £25,000 for patent registration costs within six months from commencement date, and pay an annual licence fee of £15,000 on the first anniversary of agreement signing.
Any approved sublicensees will be required to pay 20% of any royalty fees to Edinburgh University and 80% to Lithium Universe.
Milestone payments include £100,000 payable upon a final investment decision for a pilot plant, £100,000 upon commissioning and start-up, and another £100,000 upon first commercial sale.
Executive Chairman Iggy Tan says Lithium Universe’s strategy is focused on two complementary divisions that each address “critical gaps in the global energy transition”.
“The first is our core lithium refining business, where we are focused on closing the lithium conversion gap in North America through the development of merchant lithium carbonate refineries,” Tan says.
“This remains our primary focus, underpinned by strong market fundamentals and a clear pathway to commercialisation.
“With growing volumes of end-of-life solar panels and e-waste, there is a clear opportunity to apply advanced, low-impact technologies to extract silver and other metals efficiently and sustainably.
“Importantly, this initiative does not detract from our lithium strategy. It is being advanced in parallel using a disciplined, modular approach with limited capital intensity at the early stage.”
University of Edinburgh Professor Jason Love says the university is “delighted to partner with and licence” its extraction technology to Lithium Universe.
“The company brings significant experience in scaling innovative processing technologies from laboratory development through to commercial deployment,” Love says.
“There are clear synergies with Lithium Universe’s existing silver extraction technology and its strong chemical engineering and project delivery expertise.
“We will work closely with the company to advance the development of a pilot plant and accelerate the pathway to commercialisation. We look forward to bringing this technology to market together.”
Pioneering ownership in Montana
On Thursday 28 May, Red Mountain Mining (ASX:RMX) exercised its option to acquire the Pioneer Tungsten Project in southwest Montana, US, moving the company to full ownership of the asset.
The acquisition was a result of Red Mountain completing due diligence at Pioneer, which spans 209 hectares and is located adjacent to claims owned by Almonty Industries (NASDAQ:ALM).
Almonty’s Gentung tungsten deposit is proximal to the project, which hosts a mineral resource of 6.83 million tonnes @ 0.315% tungsten trioxide.
Pioneer hosts three key areas along the eastern margin of the Mount Torrey Batholith, including the Greenstone, Mammoth, and Lost Creek prospects.
Red Mountain says its due diligence campaign confirmed the presence of garnet skarns. The company expects to define ‘high-quality’ and ‘relatively shallow’ drill targets for testing at Pioneer shortly, with exploration starting at Greenstone.
The company is working towards drill approvals for the project, with historical results returning highlights of 10.7m @ 0.48% tungsten trioxide, 5.8m @ 0.43% tungsten trioxide, and 7.6m @ 0.42% tungsten trioxide.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Silver Mines & Lithium Universe
