Galileo Resources PLC (AIM:GLR) provided an update for investors on Wednesday, including news that soil sampling has been completed at the Kalahari Copper Belt project in Botswana and that drilling has begun on time at the Shinganda copper-gold project in central Zambia.
The bulk of drilling for the current programme at Shinganda is expected to be concluded prior to the start of the rainy season later in the quarter.
Shinganda, said chairman and chief executive Colin Bird, “in our view shows significant copper and gold potential with gold values greater than typically experienced in Zambia.
“Our work to date has focused on the refinement of previous geological work by Vale and others which has led to new concepts which we will follow up post the current drill programme.”
On the Kalahari Copper Belt, a total of 3,373 samples were collected and have been dispatched to the Intertek analytical laboratory in Perth, Australia, Galileo said.
A planned airborne gravity gradient survey, which is being funded by partners and neighbours Sandfire Resources and Cobre Limited, the survey is expected to be completed and data available before the end of the year.
Bird highlighted the interest in seeing ionic leach sample results for Licence PL253/2018 and its location relative to reported discoveries on the two Cobre Limited licences located immediately east and west of Galileo’s ground holding.
“Our interpretation of the results will drive subsequent follow up work most likely to include drilling,” he said.
The AIM-listed company also said it has received unsubstantiated reports that active mining is taking place at Star Zinc in Zambia, which it sold to local company Siege Mining in 2021. Galileo has a royalty agreement on Star Zinc.
Enquiries are being made to Siege for clarification of the situation, with marketing agent Zopco having reported that it has recently received no zinc concentrate and therefore no income.
“Amounts due from the disposal of Star Zinc have been previously fully provided against in our accounts but despite this we are investigating unconfirmed reports of active mining and continue to pursue payment of the outstanding amounts due," said Bird.