Canada's XXIX Metal Launches 65,000-Meter Copper Drilling Program

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 28, Canadian mining company XXIX Metal launched a copper and copper-gold drilling program totaling approximately 65,000 meters, covering three projects: the Thierry copper mine in Ontario, the Opemiska copper-gold mine in Quebec, and the Cooke copper mine. Two rigs are already operating at the Thierry property, with four additional rigs scheduled to arrive between November 2026 and January 2027, at which point up to six rigs will be active across the three projects simultaneously.

The Thierry copper mine accounts for approximately 25,000 meters of the drilling. Since drilling began at the property in July 2026, nine holes have been completed for a cumulative total of more than 6,200 meters. The company recently obtained two additional drilling permits allowing exploration on both sides of the K1 deposit and between the K1 and K2 deposits. A previously conducted induced polarization geophysical survey identified an anomalous zone more than 2.5 kilometers long and approximately 75 to 125 meters wide; the current drilling will systematically test this area and, combined with drill core data, update the geological model of the K1 deposit. Operations are expected to continue until March 2027.

At the Opemiska copper-gold mine in Quebec, two rigs are scheduled to be deployed in the first week of November to complete approximately 20,000 meters of drilling. Holes will be placed around the existing deposits and the proposed open pit, and will cover the eastern Bouchard and McNichols vein zones. The program focuses on upgrading the mineral resource classification to provide measured and indicated resource data for the project's prefeasibility study. The mineral resource estimate updated in June 2025 shows, within the open pit constrained envelope, resources of 141.2 million tonnes containing approximately 1.5 billion pounds of copper and approximately 1.05 million ounces of gold, including 62.7 million tonnes of indicated resources.

The Cooke copper mine, located approximately 3 kilometers east of the Opemiska deposit, is allocated approximately 20,000 meters of drilling, with the first rig scheduled to arrive in mid-November 2026 and the second to be commissioned in early January 2027. The drilling will investigate open pit potential around the previously mined area and compile the property's first mineral resource estimate. The company plans to assess the feasibility of using the Cooke property as a second ore source for the Opemiska project, incorporating the development plans of both properties into a single prefeasibility study.

Under the current implementation schedule, drilling at the Opemiska and Cooke properties is expected to be completed in April 2027, with assay results from the three projects to be released in batches through the first half of 2027. The Thierry project plans to update the K1 deposit resource, the Opemiska project will adjust its existing resource classification, and the Cooke property will advance its first resource estimate. The prefeasibility study for the Opemiska copper-gold mine is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2027.