Rulikha Copper Project Drilling Update
East Star Resources Plc has received drilling approval for Licence 3631 at its Rulikha Copper Project and has mobilized a drill rig, commencing operations on October 5, 2026. The initial drilling program will consist of approximately 1,500 metres across five drill holes targeting two areas to verify historical mineralisation. Under a binding Heads of Agreement with Nova Ltd, Nova will fund the project through to production at no further cost to East Star, which will retain between 25% and 35% ownership of the producing mine.
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East Star Resources Plc (LSE: EST), the Kazakhstan-focused gold and copper exploration and development company, is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at the Rulikha Copper Project ("Rulikha"), being advanced through its joint venture ("JV") with Kazakh company, Nova Ltd ("Nova").
All permissions for drilling on Licence 3631 have now been received. A drilling contract has been executed and a drill rig has been mobilised to site, with drilling operations commencing on 5 October 2026, at no cost to East Star.
Drilling is expected to initially comprise five drill holes across two target areas for approximately 1,500 metres and is designed to verify historically logged mineralisation.
As announced on 1 September 2026, a binding Heads of Agreement was signed with Nova under which Nova will farm into Rulikha and advance it through development to production, at no further cost to East Star. The Company is fully carried to production, at which point it will hold between 25% and 35% of the producing mine.
Alex Walker, CEO of East Star, commented:
"We are pleased to have received all required permissions and commenced drilling at Rulikha in short order. The current programme is expected to comprise five holes across Target Areas 1 and 2, which made up the bulk of the exploration target defined by historical drill logs that the JV aims to convert into a resource. We look forward to updating the market as the programme progresses."
To watch a video of Tremain Woods, Exploration Manager of East Star, speaking from Rulikha, visit: https://eaststarplc.com/link/yE28pe
Figure 1: Target Areas 1 and 2 - the focus of the current drill programme
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The person who arranged for the release of this announcement was Alex Walker, CEO of the Company.
Cleaned text: letterheads, contacts and legal notices removed. View the original announcement ↗ · Company filings. Not investment advice.