en.Wedoany.com Reported - South Africa's Orion Minerals has made new progress in its drilling program at the Okiep Copper Project in the Northern Cape Province, with the latest intersection further confirming the continuity of copper mineralization in the area. The company stated that the results of the resource optimization drilling program validate its development strategy. As part of the drilling activities in the Flat Mine East exploration area, the second completed borehole (coded OFMED158) has yielded assay results, confirming the down-dip continuity revealed by the previous OFMED157 borehole and enhancing the understanding of the structural controls of the mineralized mafic unit. These results build on the outcomes of the 2024 confirmation drilling program, which had already highlighted the resource potential of the Flat Mines area, with the latest results including an intersection of 3.96 meters at a copper grade of 4.64%.
Orion Minerals CEO Tony Lennox stated that these new high-grade drilling results enhance the potential upside of the Flat Mine East area, with the intersection further extending the recently identified high-grade copper zone down-dip and indicating it remains open at depth. The continuity of high-grade intersections supports the expansion of the geological model and the increase in deposit size. Lennox noted that the mineralized system remains open and extends well beyond the current mineral resource envelope and block model, and these results consolidate the quality and growth potential of the Flat Mines area as a cornerstone of Orion's broader Okiep development strategy.
These results support further drilling, and Orion will combine ongoing geophysical surveys to further optimize drilling targets and enhance the potential for success across the Flat Mine East area. The 703-square-kilometer mineral rights area of the Okiep Copper Project covers most of the Okiep copper mining district, where 105 million tonnes of ore have been mined over the past 100 years, with 77 million tonnes coming from the project's prospecting and mining rights areas. Past drilling has confirmed extension and infill potential, and the current drilling is expected to add more mineral resources in the Flat Mines area.
Sampling was conducted using a diamond drilling program, with samples taken from areas selected through visual observation and handheld analyzer readings. Metallurgical test work is being carried out by Maelgwyn on the Flat Mines South deposit, while previous tests were limited to Flat Mines North and Flat Mines East; the current plan aims to verify the process flow performance proposed for the Flat Mines South resource. Dewatering at Flat Mines North has commenced following the completion of a new wastewater dam. During the three months ending March 31, Orion's Prieska copper/zinc mine in the Northern Cape Province conducted value engineering, operational readiness, and key skills identification work to advance project implementation. The mine, located near Copperton, sits atop a large volcanic massive sulfide deposit. The definitive feasibility study outlines an accelerated development strategy based on an initial mining rate of 20,000 tonnes per month for the "Upper Orebody" and dewatering work for the "Deep Orebody" phase (at a production rate of 200,000 tonnes per month).
