お知らせ • Jul 16
Avanti Gold Corp Expands Active Drill Fleet and Accelerates Exploration Program At Misisi Gold Project
Avanti Gold Corp. had announced a significant acceleration of exploration activities at its flagship Misisi Gold Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo through the expansion of its active drilling fleet from two to four rigs immediately, with six rigs expected to be operating by the end of July. The expanded fleet materially increases the Company's drilling capacity as it advances the largest exploration program in the history of the project, designed to grow and upgrade the existing 3.11 Moz NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resource while systematically testing multiple high-priority targets along the 55-kilometre Kibara Gold Belt. The newly mobilized Reverse Circulation rig will play a critical operational role by pre-collaring drill holes through the upper, predominantly weathered portions of each drill target, allowing the diamond drill rigs to focus exclusively on core drilling through the mineralized zones. This approach is expected to materially improve drilling efficiency, increase daily meterage productivity, reduce overall drilling unit costs, and accelerate completion of the Phase 1 program. The integration of RC pre-collaring with diamond core drilling is a proven operational approach widely used across West and Central African gold exploration programs, and its adoption at Misisi reflects the Company's commitment to maximizing drilling productivity. In addition to the four rigs now active on site, a further two drill rigs are currently being mobilized and are expected to arrive at the Project site, by end of July. Upon their arrival, the total active fleet will increase to six rigs — the largest drilling capacity ever deployed at The Project — supporting the simultaneous completion of Phase 1 and the planned commencement of Phase 2. Phase 2 will comprise approximately 27,000 metres of drilling across Akyanga and four additional high-priority targets — Ngalula, Lubitchako, Tulonge, and Kilombwe — along the broader 55-kilometre Kibara Gold Belt. Phase 2 drilling at Akyanga will focus on in-fill drilling designed to convert Inferred resources to Indicated status, supporting the advancement toward a Preliminary Economic Assessment anticipated in 2027. Phase 1 drilling by the first two diamond rigs has continued to generate drill core samples that are being systematically logged, sampled, and submitted for assay. A first batch of Phase 1 core samples has been shipped to SGS Laboratories in Mwanza, Tanzania for analysis. Assay results are expected imminently and will be released as they become available. The historical intercepts announced on March 2, 2026 which included 12.7 metres at 4.60 g/t Au, 3.5 metres at 6.12 g/t Au, and 15.1 metres at 2.31 g/t Au — were not included in the existing June 2023 NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate, and highlights areas that warrant follow-up drilling as part of the current exploration program. The current 2026 programme represents more than twice the total historical drilling ever conducted at Misisi. The Misisi Project site is located in the Fizi territory of South Kivu province, in the DRC, approximately 250 kilometres south of Bukavu and 180 kilometres north of Kalemie. The project comprises three contiguous 30-year mining leases covering 133 square kilometres along the 55-kilometre Kibara Gold Belt. The Akyanga Deposit, located centrally in the Misisi Project, hosts an NI 43-101 compliant Inferred Mineral Resource of 40.8 million tonnes averaging 2.37 g/t gold, containing 3.11 million ounces, which was based on 19,956 meters of historic drilling, including 105 diamond drillholes totalling 19,070 meters and six reverse circulation drillholes totalling 887 meters. The resource extends from surface to a vertical depth of 350 metres over a strike length of approximately 2,100 metres, using a $1,500/oz pit shell. The mineralisation remains open at depth and along strike. The Company has adopted a phased exploration strategy designed to maximize drilling productivity while rapidly advancing resource growth. Phase 1 focuses on approximately 15,000 metres of drilling at the Akyanga and Akyanga East deposits to: Expand the existing resource footprint; Upgrade confidence in the current resource; Test extensions of known mineralization; and Generate geological data to support future resource growth. With four rigs operating simultaneously, the Company expects to significantly accelerate completion of Phase 1. Phase 2 will commence immediately following the arrival of the additional two drill rigs, increasing the total operational fleet to six rigs by the end of July. The expanded fleet will enable simultaneous drilling across several high-priority regional targets including: Akyanga Extensions, Akyanga East, Ngalula, Tulonge, Lubitchako, Kilombwe. The six-rig fleet will allow Avanti to execute one of the most aggressive exploration campaigns currently underway in Central Africa. The Company expects a strong pipeline of exploration milestones over the coming months, including: Initial Phase 1 assay results, Expansion to a six operating drill rigs, Commencement of Phase 2 drilling, Ongoing drill assay releases, Resource growth drilling of the Akyanga mineral resource, Continued advancement toward future resource updates and technical studies, Initial drilling results from regional exploration targets across the Misisi Project.