Blencowe Resources (BRES) has released the results of further assays from the Stage 7 drilling programme at its Orom-Cross graphite project in northern Uganda.
The Stage-7 campaign, the largest undertaken by the company to-date, combined geotechnical drilling, infill drilling and exploration drilling across multiple deposits, including Camp Lode, Northern Syncline and Beehive.
The programme was designed to expand and upgrade existing mineralisation. In particular, the infill component was specifically focused on converting existing JORC resources into reserves for inclusion within the definitive feasibility study, which remains on track for completion in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Initial assays from the infill drilling at Camp Lode have delivered a sequence of strong, high-grade near-surface hits, underscoring Orom-Cross's exceptional blend of scale, shallow mineralisation and low-cost, open-pit potential.
First results from the Northern Syncline, where drilling targeted both infill and deeper extensions, are now in final lab stages and will be released shortly.
Among the highlights from Camp Lode were 27.49 metres grading 8.18% total graphitic content, 25.39 metres grading 7.34% TGC, including 10.41m @ 11.27% TGC, and 27.75m at 5.41% TGC.
The results confirm high-grade extensions within and adjacent to the planned pit area, providing additional higher-grade tonnes that will strengthen early-stage project economics. Access to elevated-grade material early in the mine schedule is expected to enhance cash flow and shorten payback once operations commence.
Geotechnical and infill drilling data will be combined in the updated geological model to feed detailed mine design and mine sequencing for the definitive study.
Combined with assay results from the Northern Syncline infill the Camp Lode data will feed into a pending JORC resource and reserve upgrade, which should increase the mineable tonnage within the DFS.
In addition, the Northern Syncline extensions and Beehive deposit will both deliver tonnes into a revised Orom-Cross exploration target to highlight future potential.
Separately, work is now nearing completion on a permanent camp at Orom-Cross. This will support further exploration in 2026 and provide facilities for contractors during mine construction.
"The infill assays are beginning to come through and thus far they are excellent,” said Blencowe’s executive chairman Cameron Pearce.
“The results from Camp Lode confirm further long intersections of high-grade, near-surface graphite that will strengthen early-stage project economics, while the broader Stage 7 drilling programme continues to deliver exactly what we hoped for, namely growth, continuity, and more tonnes for conversion to reserves. All this data will feed directly into our upgraded JORC resource statement and the definitive feasibility study, which both remain on track for completion for the fourth quarter of 2025. The DFS will in turn allow us to move directly into project financing discussions, leveraging the strong relationships we have already built and opening new ones as we take Orom-Cross into Phase 1 development.”
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Meanwhile, as we highlighted in our video with Blencowe chief executive Mike Ralston yesterday, extensive testing programmes continue to validate Orom-Cross as a globally competitive graphite source. Independent laboratories including graphite specialists Wuhan University in China and American Energy Technologies in the U.S. have confirmed SPG purities up to 99.99%, while recent SAFELOOP testing demonstrated one of the highest natural graphite loadings ever recorded in an EV battery anode at 68%. Most recently, Apollo Energy Systems in the U.S. achieved a 12% performance gain using Orom-Cross graphite in lead-acid batteries. It all adds up to a compelling story, and one that’s about to reach a major inflection point. The company’s shares have more than doubled in value since May, and the direction of travel is now very clear.