Life was sweet in the world of the small cap miners today.
Shanta Gold (LON:SHG) produced a record amount of gold from its New Luika mine in Tanzania in its latest quarter with costs also sharply lower.
Output totalled 25,550 ounces in the three months to September, up two-thirds on a year ago, with sales of 26,250 ounces at a price of US$1,175.
Elsewhere, SolGold (LON:SOLG) hit what it describes as another world class intersection of copper and gold at its Cascabel project in Ecuador.
Results from the twelfth hole at the Alpala target showed copper grades of 0.67% over more than 1.3 km, with the best results in a half a kilometre stretch at 1.03%.
An optimisation study of Condor’s Gold’s (LON:CNR) La India project in Nicaragua has substantially boosted the amount of gold expected to be mined in the early stages.
Consultant Whittle undertook the study to boost the early cashflows from the project and it estimates annual production could range from between 91,000oz to 165,000 oz gold in the first five years, a 22% increase.
Sticking with gold, miner Petropavlovsk (LON:POG) met production targets in its latest three months as it focuses on the high grade ounces at its four Russian mines.
Xtract Resources (LON:XTR) has signed a joint venture with a company called Mineral Technologies International to mine alluvial gold at the Manica project in Mozambique.
The first gold pour at the Altintepe mine in Turkey is expected in the next two to three weeks, Stratex International (LON:STI) told investors on Tuesday.
In other mining news, work on a bulk sample from the Cinovec lithium-tin-tungsten project in the Czech Republic has thrown up positive results with the potential to lower project costs, reported Rare Earth Minerals (LON:REM).
Sirius Minerals (LON:SXX) says it's looking forward to beginning building its huge UK potash mine next year after it received a key decision notice from the North York Moors national park authority.
To energy - where Enegi Oil (LON:ENEG) has appointed energy industry veteran Dr Nigel Burton as chief executive officer, leaving Alan Minty to concentrate on his executive chairman duties.
Elsewhere, Genel Energy (LON:GENL) chief executive Murat Özgül said the third quarter of 2015 had been a ‘turning point’ for the oil and gas producer, whose main assets are in the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq.
In other news, a glimpse of the future has been given by Teathers Financial (LON:TEA), which revealed private investors could participate in a flotation via its smartphone app.
Empresaria (LON:EMR) announced it has completed the acquisition of Pharmaceutical Strategies as the placing shares related to the deal were placed yesterday.
Finally, Scancell Holdings (LON:SCLP) joint chief executive, professor Lindy Durrant, said the team continued to be excited by the “compelling data” being produced by its lead cancer treatment.