Central Copper Resources (CCR), a company focused on delivering copper assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia, is targeting a new copper zone in the DRC.

Central Copper CEO Kevin van Wouw tells Mining Weekly that there is a geographical feature or fault running east to west from north Angola through the DRC into Congo-Brazzaville.

CCR has 85 km of contiguous licence on the feature and it is well identified by historic exploration and artisanal production since the 1930s.

The company has drilled out 4.5 km of this strike length for its Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant resource of 11.8-million tonnes at 3.13% copper, adds Van Wouw.

He says CCR is expanding the resource with its work programme over the next 18 months, which involves drilling along strike to east and west, to determine the potential of doubling the resource.

Completing a prefeasibility study (PFS) on the current resource will include an infill campaign, which will improve understanding of the high grade and may improve the overall resource grade, informs Van Wouw.

He says the infill campaign could lift the overall resource grade to be more reflective of the intersects of 4% upward.

Regional work has identified 71 areas of interest, some of which are drill ready, and some of which require further regional work that will develop project two and three into the pipeline.

Project two investigated where artisanal high-grade mining occurred historically. The balance of licences have shown 71 areas of interest for further investigation.

It is also aiming to reach a decision to start mining on the first decline in the mining evaluation phase, with strong cash flows anticipated thereafter.

Van Wouw mentions that the long-term prospects for copper remain good, whereas output is on the decline. Demand is being driven by electric cars and other decarbonisation efforts.

This renewed interest in copper should enable CCR to secure funding for its high-grade potential project opportunities.

“Our significant resource opportunities will transform the company into a multi-project development and operating company, where each project brought forward is best of class,” acclaims Van Wouw.