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The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast

The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast

Written by: Resources Rising Stars
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The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Resources Rising Stars, hosted by Paul Armstrong, a seasoned expert in the world of finance and resources. With more than 30 years of experience as a finance journalist under his belt, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to his conversations with some of the most prominent figures in the industry. Each episode of The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a deep dive into the inner workings of those resources companies which are making things happen, quizzing those in charge about their projects, their prospects, the challenges they face and the opportunities they offer to investors. Whether you’re an investor, industry professional, or simply interested in the latest developments in mining, energy, and resources, The Hole Truth is the podcast for you. Join Paul and his guests to hear about the latest investment opportunities in the resources sector. Produced by Resource Media ———— The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate. Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions.Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. Economics Personal Finance Politics & Government
Episodes
  • AusQuest in Search of Copper Glory in Peru - Graeme Drew (ASX: AQD)

    AusQuest in Search of Copper Glory in Peru - Graeme Drew (ASX: AQD)
    Jun 9 2026
    AusQuest has outlined a big copper footprint at its project in Peru. Extensive shallow mineralisation has already been defined. The question is, is there high-grade material below this? The company is just starting a deep drilling programme in the hope of finding the high-grade source, which could be a company maker. Guest Bio Graeme Drew is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of AusQuest Limited, with more than 40 years' experience in the mineral exploration industry in Australia and overseas. Prior to co-founding AusQuest, he held senior roles as an Exploration Manager with CRA Exploration (CRAE) and Rio Tinto Exploration in both Western and Eastern Australia. He has wide-ranging experience in the search for and evaluation of base and precious metals, including copper, gold, nickel, uranium, zinc and diamonds, and leads AusQuest's exploration strategy across its portfolio of porphyry copper, IOCG and base-metal projects in Peru and Australia. Produced by Resource Media The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate. Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions. Links The Hole Truth LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/the-hole-truth-podcast The Hole Truth YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI4sZkSfEpPi_u7OrD7lQ-tZHbdy6EhCC&si=iOcGscff7kMSw8c7 The Hole Truth Website: https://resourcesrisingstars.com.au/the-hole-truth-podcast/ The Hole Truth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theholetruthpodcast/ Company Website: https://www.ausquest.com.au/ Key Insights Large, Near-Surface Copper Footprint Defined AusQuest's Cangallo Project hosts a copper (+/– gold) porphyry system extending more than 1,500 metres in length, several hundred metres in width and over 400 metres in depth, sitting within roughly 50 metres of surface. The 100%-owned discovery was made through the company's own RC drilling, with no prior drilling on the project, giving AusQuest full ownership of the upside. The Deeper Drilling Test — Smoke vs Fire With most drilling so far confined to the deeply weathered, oxidised top 300 metres, AusQuest is now starting a deeper diamond drilling program of approximately 5,000–6,000 metres (holes to 800–1,000 metres) to test whether a higher-grade hypogene source sits beneath the extensive shallow mineralisation. A meaningful intercept at depth could be a significant re-rating event for the company. Potential Near-Surface Starter Pit The shallow, low-grade oxide material (averaging ~0.25–0.3% Cu) may carry standalone value. Because it is leachable oxide with effectively no strip ratio, and is located near the coast in a low-cost desert setting close to infrastructure, AusQuest is undertaking metallurgical test work to assess recoveries and the potential for an economic open-pit, leachable resource. Strategic Location and Copper Tailwind Cangallo's coastal location around 8 kilometres from the Peruvian coast — close to the Pan-American Highway and power lines, away from agriculture and at low elevation — is a key value driver versus higher-altitude Andean peers. A rising copper price, with forecasts of US$15,000–16,000+ per tonne, adds further leverage to both the shallow resource and any deeper discovery. Compelling Risk/Reward at a Modest Valuation At a market capitalisation of around A$70 million, Drew argues AusQuest is undervalued relative to peers holding comparable oxide copper resources across the Americas. Having transitioned from greenfields explorer to a brownfields evaluation story, the company offers investors leverage to exploration success as the deeper drilling program gets underway.
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    18 mins
  • PMET Positioned to Capitalise on Lithium Resurgence | Ken Brinsden – PMET Resources (ASX: PMT)

    PMET Positioned to Capitalise on Lithium Resurgence | Ken Brinsden – PMET Resources (ASX: PMT)
    May 25 2026
    PMET is closing in on a key economic assessment of a huge lithium project in Canada. The project is set to be the fifth biggest budget main producer in the world. Meaning it is ideally placed to be a key supplier to North American and European markets looking to diversify from China. Guest Bio Ken Brinsden is CEO, President and Director of PMET Resources (ASX: PMT / TSX: PMET). He is a Mining Engineer with nearly 30 years of experience across surface and underground mining operations, spanning mine management, production, brownfield and greenfield development, and executive and board leadership across multiple commodities. Ken graduated from the Western Australian School of Mines in 1993 and has held roles at WMC Resources, Normandy, Central Norseman Gold Corporation, GoldFields, Iluka Resources and Atlas Iron. He joined Pilbara Minerals as Chief Executive Officer in January 2016 and was appointed Managing Director and CEO in May of that year, leading the company's transformation from a junior explorer into one of the world's leading lithium raw materials producers and achieving entry to the ASX 100. Ken is a member of the London Metal Exchange's Lithium Committee and is now based in Québec, where he is leading the development of the Shaakichiuwaanaan Project — the largest lithium pegmatite resource in the Americas. Produced by Resource Media ———— The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate. Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions. Key Insights PMET's Shaakichiuwaanaan Project Is Positioned to Become One of the World's Largest Lithium ProducersLocated in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of northern Québec, the Shaakichiuwaanaan Project holds the largest lithium pegmatite resource in the Americas. PMET's completed CV5 Feasibility Study targets production of up to 800,000 tonnes per year of spodumene concentrate at full capacity, which would place it in the top five hard rock lithium operations globally — a scale Ken Brinsden compares directly to the industry benchmark, Greenbushes. Stationary Energy Storage and EV Trucking Are the Demand Forces the Market Is Underestimating Brinsden reveals that stationary battery energy storage now accounts for 40% of global lithium-ion battery demand — a figure unthinkable just 18 months ago. He argues the next wave is diesel replacement in commercial trucking, enabled by megawatt-scale charging and larger battery packs, and that the compounding effect of cheaper cells across new applications means the market will continue to be surprised by the pace of demand growth. Shaakichiuwaanaan Is a Rare Triple-Commodity Critical Minerals Asset Beyond its world-class lithium endowment, the Shaakichiuwaanaan property hosts the world's largest known pollucite-hosted caesium deposit — located in the CV13 pegmatite — as well as one of the largest tantalum resources globally. Caesium is used in oil and gas drilling fluids, industrial catalysts and pharmaceuticals; tantalum is in strong demand for electronics, defence and aerospace. Brinsden explains how both co-products will contribute meaningful cost credits when the expanded feasibility study is released. Volkswagen's PowerCo and Koch Technology Solutions Provide Strategic Validation at Scale In a first for the Volkswagen Group, the automaker has taken a direct equity stake in PMET and signed a 10-year lithium spodumene offtake agreement through its battery subsidiary PowerCo. PMET has also launched a relationship with Koch Technology Solutions — a major US industrial conglomerate — focused on advancing value-added caesium chemicals production from Shaakichiuwaanaan, deepening the project's integration into North American critical minerals supply chains. Government Backing From Canada and Germany Underpins the Path to Mine Authorisation PMET has received letters of support from Export Development Canada and Germany's KfW IPEX-Bank as it advances through the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment process. Brinsden sees Canada's drive to diversify its supply chains — particularly in the context of shifting geopolitical dynamics and its deepening ties with Europe — as a powerful structural tailwind for Shaakichiuwaanaan as it targets a final investment decision in the second half of 2027.
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    22 mins
  • Graham Arvidson, Chief Executive Officer of Australian Vanadium (ASX: AVL)

    Graham Arvidson, Chief Executive Officer of Australian Vanadium (ASX: AVL)
    May 12 2026

    Australian Vanadium has put its hands up to build a big battery storage system in Kalgoorlie. The company plans to produce the key ingredient — vanadium electrolyte — using its own technology and plant for that battery. It believes that the Kalgoorlie battery will provide a role model for how vanadium batteries can be used elsewhere around Australia.

    Guest Bio

    Graham Arvidson is Chief Executive Officer of Australian Vanadium Limited. He is a highly respected executive with more than two decades of experience across the Australian and international resource and energy sectors, spanning project studies, design, construction, commissioning and operations management.

    Before joining Australian Vanadium in 2022, Graham held senior leadership roles with IGO, Primero Group and Pilbara Minerals, building a track record in successful project development, operational optimisation and mineral processing operations. His background includes direct experience in vanadium, lithium and broader energy markets, positioning him to lead Australian Vanadium’s vertically integrated “pit-to-battery” strategy.

    Graham holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta, an MBA and MSc in Mineral Economics from Curtin University, and is a Chartered Professional Metallurgist and Chartered Professional Engineer.

    Produced by Resource Media

    The Hole Truth: Mining Investment Podcast is a product of Read Corporate.

    Please note that Read Corporate does not provide investment advice and investors should seek personalised advice before making any investment decisions.

    Key Insights Kalgoorlie Could Become Australia’s First Bankable Vanadium Flow Battery Hub

    Australian Vanadium is competing to deliver a proposed 500MWh vanadium flow battery in Kalgoorlie, supported by a WA Government initiative designed to strengthen regional energy security. If successful, the project would become one of the largest vanadium flow batteries outside China and could establish the first commercially bankable Western model for utility-scale vanadium energy storage.

    Vertical Integration Is Central to AVL’s Strategy

    The company’s integrated structure — spanning vanadium mining, electrolyte production and battery deployment — is designed to create supply chain advantages and cost efficiencies. AVL already operates a commercial vanadium electrolyte plant in Perth, giving it a significant first-mover advantage in Australia’s emerging flow battery market.

    Vanadium Flow Batteries Target Long-Duration Energy Storage

    Unlike lithium-ion batteries, vanadium flow batteries experience virtually no degradation over time, allowing them to maintain capacity across decades of operation. Graham Arvidson explains that this makes the technology particularly suited to infrastructure-grade storage applications requiring long-duration performance, high cycling capability and asset lives extending beyond 20 years.

    Hot Climate Applications Could Drive Australian Demand

    Australian Vanadium believes vanadium flow batteries are particularly well suited to remote and high-temperature environments such as the Pilbara and northern Australia, where lithium technologies can face operational limitations. The company sees significant long-term opportunities in mining regions, regional grids and industrial energy systems that require reliable long-duration storage.

    AI Data Centres and Grid Reliability Are Emerging Growth Drivers

    The conversation highlights growing global demand for large-scale energy storage driven by AI data centres and grid stability requirements. Vanadium flow batteries are attracting attention because of their non-flammable chemistry, scalability and ability to sustain frequent charge-discharge cycles without capacity fade — characteristics increasingly valued in critical infrastructure applications.
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    26 mins
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