Blencowe Resources Plc (LSE: BRES) has reported the completion of a second phase exploration programme at its Orom-Cross graphite project in northern Uganda, confirming graphite outcropping at surface across approximately 25 kilometres of strike. Seven geophysical targets were tested through surface mapping and sampling, all falling within the company's existing lease areas. Grab samples from three targets — GT-02b, GT-03b, and GT-04 — returned high-grade results above 20% Total Graphite Content (TGC), results the company says further support the project's potential as a major long-life graphite region.

Key Points

  • Blencowe Resources Plc (LSE: BRES), a graphite development company operating in northern Uganda
  • Graphite confirmed outcropping at surface across c.25km of strike at the Orom-Cross project, with +20% TGC results at three geophysical targets
  • Existing JORC Mineral Resource stands at 64.3Mt @ 6.03% TGC; the Definitive Feasibility Study is based on an initial 15-year mine life from four drilled deposits
  • Investors should watch for Phase 1 project funding progress and further exploration updates across the wider 25km trend

Second Phase Programme Tests Seven Geophysical Targets Beyond Orom-Cross's Four Drilled Deposits

The second phase exploration programme, commissioned in September, involved surface mapping and sampling of seven geophysical targets situated immediately north and south of the four existing deposits — Camp Lode, Northern Syncline, Iyan, and Beehive. Surface mapping covered approximately 95% of the identified targets, with all mapped results described as positive based on outcropping and indicative soil characteristics. Grab samples were taken selectively from areas showing high-grade potential, rather than across the full mapped area, with GT-02b, GT-03b, and GT-04 each returning above 20% TGC. Both GT-04 and GT-03b lie fully within the company's exploration licences.

Orom-Cross Scale: 2–3 Billion Tonne Mineralisation Potential and a 21-Year Mining Licence

The announcement states that results are initially supportive of identified project potential for 2–3 billion tonnes of graphite mineralisation across the full c.25km strike. Blencowe holds a 21-year Mining Licence for Orom-Cross, granted by the Ugandan Government in 2019. The project carries a JORC Mineral Reserve of 23.08Mt at 5.18% TGC, with the Definitive Feasibility Study — published in December 2025 — built on an initial 15-year mine life drawn solely from the four drilled deposits. All additional geophysical targets identified in this programme sit outside that existing mine plan entirely, and all lie within 10 kilometres of the proposed plant site.

Strategic Supply Security Discussions Cited as Orom-Cross Exploration Pipeline Expands

The announcement highlights that Blencowe is engaged in ongoing discussions with strategic groups focused on securing long-term graphite supply, and that the extended 25km strike length has been a principal subject of those conversations. The company's Interim Chief Executive Officer, Iain Wearing — who also serves as the JORC-qualified Competent Person for this announcement — states that multi-decade production potential is a key message in those discussions. The company's immediate focus remains securing Phase 1 project funding, with early-stage work on the wider targets to continue through the same staged approach applied to the existing deposits.

Blencowe Resources Advances Orom-Cross Toward Production With Measured Exploration Approach

Orom-Cross is characterised in the announcement as a large, shallow open-pittable deposit with a high component of larger, more valuable graphite flakes. The project benefits from a low strip ratio and free dig operations, which the company says supports lower operating and capital costs. The measured exploration methodology — progressing from geophysical survey through surface mapping to drilling — has previously been used to bring Northern Syncline and Camp Lode to Definitive Feasibility Study status. Investors may be watching whether upcoming Phase 1 funding progress translates the expanded resource potential into an updated mine plan.