South Pacific Metals has announced a strategic expansion of exploration activities for the coming year, introducing a second drill rig at the Ontenu project in the Kainantu District of Papua New Guinea.
As part of the broader Osena regional mineral exploration portfolio, the company revealed the additional power will help expedite subsurface testing of sever high-priority targets, located adjacent to the southwestern boundary of K92 Mining’s Kainantu gold mine.
The newly contracted rig, expected to arrive in March, will begin operations at the Onki Fault area, complementing the existing company-owned rig already active in the southern Ontenu NE area.
This move reflects South Pacific Metals’ intent to significantly scale up its 2026 drilling program, which now aims to complete up to 5,000 metres of drilling across multiple structures and zones.
Early surface work at the Onki Fault has already yielded impressive rock chip results, with assays returning values as high as 21.2 per cent copper, 214 grams per tonne (g/t) silver and 0.41 g/t gold, underlining the potential for significant subsurface mineralisation.
Speaking on the expanded program, South Pacific chief executive officer Timo Jauristo noted the potential for greater project growth.
“Ontenu, and especially Ontenu NE, has revealed multiple targets from surface exploration across a number of mineralised structures and zones over a broad area,” he said.
“In order to accelerate testing of these high-grade epithermal targets, the company is adding a second drill rig to the campaign. Our challenge is prioritising the many targets.”
The second drill rig has been contracted through a Papua New Guinea-based drilling company and will operate in tandem with the existing rig to advance drilling and targeting at both the Onki Fault zone and the southern Ontenu NE area.
The Onki Fault has returned significant surface grades of copper, gold and silver since its discovery in 2025, suggesting substantial target widths.
South Pacific’s aggressive exploration push at Ontenu forms part of a larger regional strategy within the Osena project, which covers roughly 738 square kilometres of highly prospective ground along a mineralised corridor that stretches more than 40 kilometres across the Kainantu District.
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