Encounter Resources (ASX:ENR) announced an expansion of its 2026 exploration activities at the Jessica Copper Project in the Northern Territory.
Operating under a farm-in agreement with a subsidiary of South32 (ASX:S32), the company is launching an extensive drilling and geophysics program designed to test high-priority targets identified during previous technical surveys.
The 2026 campaign is headlined by a massive 6,000-meter drilling initiative, split between 4,000m of reverse circulation drilling and approximately 2,000m of diamond drilling.
The efforts aim to validate copper targets pinpointed by 2025 VTEM and MIMDAS surveys.
Complementing the drill rigs, a regional magnetotelluric survey is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026 to further refine the project's geological profile.
Beyond technical operations, the project’s footprint has grown substantially.
The Jessica farm-in agreement has been expanded to include 685km2 of new tenure, strategically located adjacent to existing exploration zones.
Executive Chairman Will Robinson expressed high confidence in the timing of the program, citing Australia's status as a Tier 1 jurisdiction. He noted that years of foundational work—including seismic reprocessing and AEM surveys—have paved the way for this large-scale testing phase.
At the time of reporting, Encounter Resources' share price was $0.35.