PT Merdeka Gold Resources Tbk (EMAS), has officially commenced a 3,600-meter diamond deep drilling program at the Pani Gold Mine.The company is targeting potential growth in mineral resources, which are currently estimated at around 7.0 million ounces of gold.President Director of Merdeka Gold Resources, Boyke Abidin, explained that the Pani Gold Mine, located in Gorontalo, currently holds an estimated mineral resource of 291.5 million tons with a gold grade of 0.75 g/t. The sizeable resource, equivalent to approximately 7.0 million ounces of gold, is expected to serve as the foundation for the development of a long-life mining operation.Boyke noted that the mineral resource estimate originates from a 135-hectare exploration area within the company’s total concession area of 14,670 hectares. Previous exploration activities indicated strong signs of mineralization beyond the boundaries of earlier drilling programs.Therefore, the 3,600-meter diamond drilling program has been specifically designed to evaluate the potential expansion of the existing resource base. Through the latest drilling campaign, the Pani project aims to test the continuation of gold mineralization at much deeper zones.“With production at Pani now underway, the company is in a stronger strategic position to continue testing mineralization potential at deeper areas through six carefully designed drill holes,” he said in an official statement received by Kontan.co.id on Friday (May 29, 2026).Boyke added that the initial phase of the program consists of six drill holes, with one drilling rig already operating on-site. Meanwhile, a second rig is scheduled to begin full operations next month to accelerate the drilling process.Should the initial results demonstrate positive potential, the company is prepared to continue the drilling program on a much larger scale.“The program also has the flexibility to be expanded further if the drilling results indicate positive potential,” he stated.On the other hand, Boyke also highlighted positive progress in the exploration program at the Kolokoa project area. The project has completed its initial drilling campaign, consisting of 54 drill holes totaling 11,701.6 meters at a cost of USD 2.4 million.Based on the results, the company is currently preparing Kolokoa’s maiden mineral resource estimate, targeted for release in Q2 2026 to provide greater market clarity.In addition, the mining company plans to expand its exploration network to the Lone Pine area in the second half of 2026. EMAS is set to conduct geophysical surveys using Mobile Magnetotelluric and helicopter-based airborne magnetic surveys in June or July.All data from the latest drilling results will be disclosed to the public following compliance with JORC Code 2012 and KCMI 2017 reporting standards.
Source https://djakarta-miningclub.com