Cobre (ASX:CBE) and a wholly owned subsidiary of BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) have signed a letter of intent to exclusively negotiate a material earn-in joint venture agreement.
The partnership will target Cobre’s Kitlanya West and East copper projects, both of which are located on the northern and southern basin margins of the Kalahari Copper Belt in Botswana.
According to Cobre’s Monday (September 23) press release, the news follows its participation in BHP’s Xplor program, which funded a recently completed seismic survey at the Kitlanya West site.
Results from the survey are expected toward the end of this quarter.
“Participating in the BHP 2024 Xplor cohort has provided the opportunity to do a belt scale review of the Kalahari Copper Belt, culminating with the collection of seismic data over the prospective northern margin of the belt,” said Adam Wooldridge, CEO of Cobre. Xplor is a critical minerals accelerator program launched by BHP in 2022.
He added that the proposed transaction with BHP would allow Cobre to fully fund follow-on exploration programs at the Kitlanya West and East assets. The company is confident that both projects have the potential to host Tier 1 copper-silver deposits, and said working with BHP would maximise its chances of making new significant discoveries.
Cobre’s deal with BHP is subject to approval and the execution of formal binding documents, along with the completion of BHP’s investigations within the exclusivity period.
Final details will be shared with the public once long-form documents have been completed.
Separate from its work with BHP, Cobre said it will keep moving forward at its Ngami copper project, with plans to publish a scoping study in early October. It is also aiming to drill further at its Okavango copper project.
Ngami and Okavango are also both located in Botswana.
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.