Gulf starts at Sheikh Adi-2 25/05/2012
Iraq-focused oil explorer Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) has begun drilling at the Sheikh Adi-2 well in the Sheikh Adi block.
Gem miner Diamondcorp wants funds for its Lace mine in South Africa and cites a potentially significant find in Botswana.
Paul Loudon, the entrepreneurial Australian chief executive of AIM-quoted Diamondcorp, says the London-based company has not priced its mooted fund raising, most of which would go to complete developments to resume underground mining at the 74 per cent-owned Lace project. Diamondcorp says the Lace main diamond pipe contains an estimated 13.29 million carats at an average of 40.12 carats per hundred tonnes of rock and comments rough diamond prices have ‘recovered strongly’ since it last sold stones from Lace in July at $90 a carat.
Commenting that Lace was profitable even at the recent nadir of the gem market, Loudon says the company will now take samples from another project, at Jwaneng South in Botswana, where its initial programme ‘has discovered a large diamondiferous kimberlite’ [where gems can occur] at one target, J-01. He adds Diamondcorp has also outlined two more targets there ‘with the potential to host kimberlites with economic size potential’.
Loudon suggests these Botswana funds ‘could transform the company’. At a time when the diamond market is picking up after a particularly bleak period, investors must hope so, too.
Floated at 90p in 2007, Diamondcorp shares have fallen nearly 90 per cent to 9.5p since then, valuing the company at £4.5 million. Clearly carrying risk, they have speculative recovery potential for the brave.
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Iraq-focused oil explorer Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) has begun drilling at the Sheikh Adi-2 well in the Sheikh Adi block.
Oil giant Shell is extending its offer period for Mozambique-focused Cove Energy (COV) after having its bid trumped by Thai government-owned PTT Exploration & Production.
Kazakhstan-focused Roxi Petroleum (RXP) has declared that its NK7 well in the Galaz aea has drilled to a depth of 1,360 metres.
Steered by sector veteran Algy Cluff, North-Sea focused cash shell Cluff Natural Resources (CNR) has joined AIM.
Somalia-focused oil explorer Red Emperor Resources (RMP) has exercised its option to take part in the drilling of the Shabeel North well.
Oil concern Heritage Oil (HOIL) has reported its Miran West-3 well in Iraq could deliver 1,000 barrels per day of condensate.