Business Model
Minotaur Exploration Ltd employs several tactics in order to build shareholder value and spread enterprise risk. These comprise:
- Innovative Exploration methods
- Strategic Joint Venture alliances
- Strategic Investment holdings
- Development of advanced projects towards commercialisation
- New opportunities
Innovative Exploration
Minotaur specialises in exploration for and discovery of economic mineral deposits. We successfully apply leading edge techniques such as ground based and airborne geophysics, biochemical and geochemical methods to interpret the presence of mineralised systems and their controls.
Exploration work is carried out by Minotaur’s subsidiary Minotaur Operations Pty Ltd, through which Minotaur focuses on copper-gold deposits, with a specific emphasis on iron-oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) mineralised systems in South Australia and Queensland.
In addition, the Minotaur group is actively exploring for base metal deposits near Broken Hill, sedimentary hosted mineralisation in South Australia, and industrial kaolin and gypsum deposits in South Australia.
Strategic Joint Ventures
Through well developed alliances with major partners Minotaur has been able to leverage its technical expertise way beyond its own balance sheet capabilities. Strong partnerships with major offshore organisations such as Sumitomo, Mitsubishi and Japan Oil Gas and Metals Corporation (JOGMEC) have endured over several years. These joint venture arrangements enable Minotaur to maintain an aggressive exploration campaign across all its Australian areas of interest, reflected by its 2011 field budget of $7 million.
Project Development
Minotaur is actively moving several projects towards economic realisation. Subject to further advances in resource definition and feasibility study outcomes, Minotaur is optimistic about the future benefits to be potentially reaped from its wholly owned Kaolin project at Poochera, in South Australia, where a 20 million tonne kaolin deposit has been identified. More significantly, recent process testwork has shown the kaolin quality to be exceptionally good in terms of its brightness, whiteness and abrasiveness. Material quality characterisation and sample preparation are ongoing as a precursor to test marketing to possible end users.
New Opportunities
Minotaur is actively scouring the resources sector for new business opportunities, whether in joint venture or through outright acquisition. Minotaur is determined to leverage its geological and geophysical expertise into production scenarios whereby sustainable cash producing assets will underwrite ongoing exploration activity and build value. Minotaur is therefore investigating ‘brownfield’ properties where exploration potential is matched against production infrastructure and/or near-term mine development options. We are constantly reviewing such situations across Australia and offshore in favourable risk regimes.