Connected Minerals has completed the second phase of drilling at its Etango North-East uranium project in Namibia, marking another step forward in the company’s strategy to define economic uranium mineralisation across the highly prospective region.
The Phase 2 reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign was conducted at the Ondapanda prospect and comprised 23 holes for a total of 3134m. The program followed the standout results from Phase 1, which confirmed the project’s uranium potential with 14 of the 15 holes drilled delivering economic grades.
Phase 1 highlights included intersections such as 5m at 358 parts per million (ppm) eU₃O₈ from 88m (including 2m at 643ppm and 1m at 814ppm), 4m at 230ppm from 47m (including 1m at 345ppm), and 3m at 312ppm from 68m. These results outlined multiple mineralised zones and confirmed the continuity of uranium-bearing alaskites within the prospect area.
The latest phase of drilling was designed to test infill and extensional targets, aiming to expand the geological understanding of the Ondapanda prospect and further delineate the scale of mineralisation. Early indications from the Phase 2 program suggest drilling has continued to intersect alaskite zones similar to those encountered in the earlier campaign.
Connected Minerals managing director and chief executive officer Warrick Clent said completion of the second-phase drilling represents another important milestone for the company’s Namibian exploration strategy.
“We are pleased to have now completed the Phase 2 drilling program at Etango North-East, the latest milestone of our rapidly advancing exploration campaign in Namibia,” Clent said. “The program increased in size from our initial plans … and we are optimistic about the upcoming results, expected in approximately three weeks.
“Initial signs are that drilling has continued to intersect alaskites; however, we are yet to complete downhole probe work on all holes. We look forward to completing this work and announcing results during October.”
Exploration to date has confirmed that the Etango North-East geology shares strong similarities with Bannerman Energy’s nearby Etango uranium project, which hosts a resource of 429 million tonnes at 225ppm U₃O₈. Multiple stacked and mineralised alaskite units have been identified across the region, reinforcing its potential to host a large-scale uranium system.
With drilling completed and assay results due within weeks, Connected Minerals is positioned to build on its growing geological model and progress towards defining a maiden resource at Etango North-East, one of the company’s most promising assets in Namibia’s uranium-rich terrain.
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