Rome Resources Plc (AIM:RMR, FRA:33R) earlier this week updated investors on progress at its Kalayi and Mont Agoma prospects.
Chief executive Paul Barrett outlined how deeper drilling and ongoing metallurgy work could reshape the scale and economics of the projects in a Proactive interview.
He covered early results from the current drill programme, expectations for a resource update and the importance of copper alongside tin.
Here, we take a closer look at what Barrett said.
Proactive: I’m joined by Rome Resources CEO Paul Barrett. Paul, very good to speak with you. You’re drilling again at Kalayi and Mont Agoma now. What have the early intercepts told you about how big the system could really be at depth?
Paul Barrett: Yes, thanks. We are drilling and we’ve got two holes going down at Kalayi as we speak, which will be the second and third holes in this program. We’re going a bit deeper than last time, following the model seen elsewhere where high-grade intercepts widen quite dramatically at depth.
That’s what we’re chasing with these deeper holes. They take a bit longer, but the first hole delivered a six-metre zone, which is pretty encouraging. We’re hopeful that within a week or so we’ll be able to say more about what we’ve found.
Proactive: The maiden resource was based on relatively shallow drilling. How transformative could the next phase be when you update the MRE?
Paul Barrett: At Kalayi, the shallow intercepts are high grade but very thin. If we start to see two or three times that intercept width at depth, it will have a material effect on the numbers. The shallow tin intercepts at Kalayi and Mont Agoma are relatively modest in volume.
Kalayi is very good in grade, so we’re hoping to extend that down and really pile on the tonnage in terms of what we’re seeing in the tin at depth.
Proactive: You’ve talked about copper sitting above the tin zones. How important could the metallurgy work be in shaping the project’s economics?
Paul Barrett: Very important, particularly at Mont Agoma. Kalayi is straightforward because it’s pure tin, but the copper is interesting from a value perspective. At the moment, we have more copper than tin in the shallow sections.
Metallurgy work is underway and we expect first-phase results shortly, which should tell us more about recovering copper, zinc and silver alongside the tin.
Proactive: Looking ahead to 2026, what are the key milestones investors should be watching for?
Paul Barrett: Drilling should continue through to around the end of March across both Kalayi and Mont Agoma. Assay results will likely start coming back toward the end of April and be fed into an updated mineral resource, which we’re aiming to publish in May.
That should align well with discussions we’re having with potential strategic partners around offtake or development funding. Those discussions are expected to progress over the summer, after which we’ll decide the best way to move forward and deliver value for shareholders.