Blencowe Resources Plc significantly expands Uganda’s Orom-Cross graphite resources, strengthening long-term supply potential for global battery markets.
Blencowe Resources Plc has announced a significant upgrade to its Orom-Cross graphite project in Uganda, driven by a maiden JORC (2012) Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for its newly discovered Beehive deposit. This update substantially increases the total resource base, reinforcing Orom-Cross's position as a major, long-life graphite development project poised to meet growing global demand.
The key event is the declaration of an Inferred Mineral Resource of 21.3 million tonnes (Mt) at 6.58% Total Graphitic Carbon (TGC) for the Beehive deposit. This follows extensive shallow drilling, part of the company's Stage 7 drilling programme, which delineated Beehive as one of two substantial new discoveries at Orom-Cross, alongside the previously announced Iyan deposit. The drilling confirmed thick, near-surface graphite mineralisation with strong continuity and consistent grades, often extending beyond the 30-meter shallow drill depths to approximately 100 meters, indicating significant vertical potential.
The immediate consequence of the Beehive MRE is a substantial increase in the overall Orom-Cross JORC Mineral Resources. Following the maiden Iyan MRE, which boosted the resource by 66% to 43.0 Mt, the Beehive addition lifts the total Orom-Cross JORC Mineral Resources to 64.3 Mt at 6.03% TGC (Measured + Indicated + Inferred) across its Northern Syncline, Camp Lode, Iyan, and Beehive deposits. This represents a remarkable 168% increase in total resources since the commencement of the Stage 7 programme.
Crucially, the current Beehive resource has been modelled over only approximately 22% of the identified anomaly and largely within the upper 25-30 meters tested by shallow drilling. This implies substantial upside potential for further resource expansion beyond the currently modelled area, as mineralisation has been shown to continue at depth and the deposit remains open in several directions.
Economically and industrially, this expanded resource base is highly significant. With a materially enlarged inventory now defined, Blencowe Resources is actively progressing its Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) optimisation work, incorporating the new data, evolving downstream pathways, and ongoing commercial discussions. An update on this work is anticipated before the end of Q2 2026. The enhanced scale and longevity of the Orom-Cross project are expected to strengthen Blencowe's position in strategic, offtake, and funding discussions.
From a geopolitical and industry-specific perspective, the substantial upgrade at Orom-Cross positions Blencowe Resources as a potentially vital source of graphite outside of China. This comes at a strategically important time for the graphite sector, as global demand for secure, ex-China supply accelerates, driven by the burgeoning battery and industrial markets. The project's large-scale, near-surface deposits support the potential for low-cost open-pit mining, further enhancing its attractiveness as a reliable and significant contributor to the global graphite supply chain.
