Resources Top 5: HRE pumps up on scandium and yttrium as BMC flexes on debut
HRE surged on fresh scandium and yttrium hits at Radium Hill, while newly listed BMC impressed with a strong first day on the ASX.
Your standout small cap resources stocks for Friday, December 12, 2025.
- Scandium and yttrium added to HRE’s Radium Hill mix
- Strong ASX debut for silver focused BMC
- BHM a star performer among ASX newcomers
Heavy Rare Earths (ASX:HRE)
The addition of scandium and yttrium to the critical minerals package at Radium Hill in South Australia did the heavy lifting for HRE today, sending the company as much as 66.67% higher to 6c before easing back to 4.5c at the close, a lift of 25%.
Heavy Rare Earths (ASX:HRE) received encouraging assays from reconnaissance rock chip sampling with strong uranium grades as expected but the surprise came from consistent, high-grade scandium and yttrium.
Sampling was carried out along the 8km long southwest to northeast structural zone extending from the historical Radium Hill mine near the border with NSW in the state’s northeast.
Results of up to 996ppm scandium trioxide and 2236ppm yttrium trioxide were returned close to the mine and up to 5km away along the Critical Mineral Corridor.
Adding further interest, lode sampling from the Railway prospect about 100m along strike from the Radium Hill deposit returned 0.36% U3O8, 253ppm ScO3 and 1.26% total rare earth oxides.
“It’s highly encouraging to receive positive assay results from ongoing groundwork at Radium Hill as our geological model continues to develop,” chairman Gabriel Chiappini said.
“Reinterpretation of aerial geophysical data, collected by HRE in 1H 2025, coupled with intense investigation of historical data, is refining our knowledge of an 8km structural corridor, enriched in a suite of critical minerals, including from the Radium Hill mine.
“It is important to note this corridor, corresponding to the axial plane of a regional fold, outcrops for only half of its interpreted extent and, where it does outcrop, there are numerous examples of historical mining efforts dating back more than a century.”
He said the detection of scandium and yttrium at multiple prospects indicated considerable potential for discovering a suite of critical minerals in an historical mining camp that had not been tested by a single drill hole in the past 64 years and where previous mining focused almost solely on uranium.
The Radium Hill project is known for its historical uranium production with 2.6Mlb mined during 1954-1961.
BMC Minerals (ASX:BMC)
The timing of silver-focused BMC Minerals (ASX:BMC) entry onto the ASX after a heavily oversubscribed IPO raised $100 million couldn’t be much better with the precious metal scaling a record US$63.51/oz.
This week’s gains have led to silver tipping below a ratio of 70:1 to the gold price for the first time since July 2021.
BMC opened at $2.25 and climbed to $2.75, a 37.5% premium to the Barrenjoey-coordinated and Argonaut and Morgans jointly led offer of $2. Almost 13m shares changed hands, valued at more than $26.9m.
With a market cap of $550m on listing, BMC holds the Kudz Ze Kayah project previously worked by Cominco in Canada’s Yukon, which once developed would count as the country’s largest standalone silver and zinc producer.
Rising silver prices are likely to have dramatically increased the value ascribed to the project’s future output since a 2023 feasibility study that gave KZK a pre-tax NPV of US$835m.
“The ASX listing is an important milestone for BMC and enables the company to continue to develop and de-risk the KZK Project to an operation of national significance for Canada and the Yukon community,” chairman Stephen Michael said.
“BMC is focused on accelerating the existing workstreams at our 100%-owned KZK polymetallic project by planning a major drilling program to commence early in the new year and anticipate receiving several licences and permits from Yukon and Federal regulatory bodies.
“We look forward to executing on our growth strategy, at a time when silver, gold and copper prices are extremely strong and establishing the ABM Mine as Canada’s largest silver and zinc producer and a top 15 copper producer.”
Around $38m plus BMC’s existing $7.5m cash pile will be put towards exploration, with $6.6m to be spent on feasibility work, $18.4m on detailed engineering and $11.5m on permitting.
Broken Hill Mines (ASX:BHM)
Since a backdoor listing into a suspended shell company in July, Broken Hill Mines (ASX:BHM) has been a star performer, increasing around 135% helped by positive news from its Rasp operations in Broken Hill and the Pinnacles project west of the mining town.
A high of $1.18 was reached in mid-October and shares then declined to 76c in early November. Since November 21, there has been a recovery and today shares have been 9.38% higher to $1.05.
At Rasp, the company has started producing silver, lead and zinc from the Blackwoods underground deposit in the higher grade Main Lode ore body and while ramp-up continues, extensional drilling has delivered up to 3m at 1426g/t silver equivalent.
At Pinnacles drilling has returned up to 4.4m at 1013g/t AgEq along with 7.6m at 1.5g/t gold and 0.2% copper.
The company is confident Pinnacles will provide high-grade ore for its Rasp processing plant.
Energy World Corporation (ASX:EWC)
Up on no news
Growing demand for efficient and clean power generation in the Asia Pacific presents opportunities for Energy World Corporation (ASX:EWC), which is focused on LNG developments in the Philippines and Indonesia.
EWC is developing the Philippines’ first ever LNG Hub terminal and a 650MW combined cycle gas fired power plant.
Development of a 2mtpa LNG liquification plant and the Sengkang gas field (50% share) are the focus in Indonesia.
EWC recently appointed Joseph Meyer as chief financial officer.
He has experience as CFO and COO of multinational corporations in Asia and Australia and most recently was CFO of GNI Group, a Japanese drug discovery and pharmaceutical company. Previously he was CFO and COO of Chi-X Asia Pacific Holdings, an alternative trading systems platform.
“We are very pleased to have him on board as we move into the next phase of operations, bringing our Philippines and Indonesian assets into operation,” EWC said.
Blue Star Helium (ASX:BNL)
First helium production from the Galactica project in Colorado is imminent as Blue Star Helium (ASX:BNL) wraps up the final stages of development.
In a late November update, the company said the gathering system was largely complete, plant-site construction had wrapped up, and the arrival and assembly of large-scale processing equipment was underway.
It said installation crews were preparing for commissioning in the coming weeks, keeping the project on track for first production by the end of 2025.
The timing could not be much better as helium markets remain structurally disrupted. Supply shocks have slashed available volumes and pushed pricing into the US$400-$500 per Mcf long-term range with spot prices climbing much higher.
This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent financial advice before making any financial decisions. While Heavy Rare Earths, Broken Hill Mines and Blue Star Helium are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.
Originally published as Resources Top 5: HRE pumps up on scandium and yttrium as BMC flexes on debut
