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Blencowe Resources’ Ugandan graphite story keeps building momentum. The London-listed miner has reported further assay results from shallow drilling at its new Beehive deposit, reinforcing the continuity of mineralisation that could materially expand the scale of its flagship Orom-Cross graphite project. Beehive and the neighbouring Iyan deposit are both significant new discoveries from Blencowe’s 2025 drill programme, and both are expected to add meaningfully to Orom-Cross’s overall resource base. As part of the Stage 7 drilling campaign, the company completed 110 shallow holes at Beehive, designed to test the continuity, thickness and near-surface extent of graphite mineralisation to a planned depth of about 30m.
The majority of holes intersected mineralisation from near surface through to end-of-hole, with many ending while still in graphite, a pattern the company says points to potential continuation below the current shallow drilling depth. That reading is consistent with previously reported deeper drilling at Beehive, which demonstrated mineralisation extending to about 100m. While the shallow programme was intended to close out the deposit’s northern extent, results instead point to further extensions of up to about 400m, particularly toward the northern and western edges of the broader target area.
Multiple holes delivered 30m to 32m of mineralisation from the surface, supporting both depth continuity and bulk-mining potential. Grades were strong across the batch, 12 holes averaged more than 5% total graphite carbon (TGC), and eight holes averaged above 6% TGC over their drilled intervals. Every hole in the batch returned mineralisation, with grades consistently above the average recorded elsewhere across Orom-Cross, a high-grade-frequency result that strengthens the case for Beehive as a standout zone within the broader project.
The data is feeding directly into resource modelling. Further Beehive assay batches are being passed to independent geological consultants Minrom for validation and quality assurance, with results to be reported progressively as batches clear. The work is building toward a maiden Beehive JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate scheduled for the second quarter and toward greater clarity on Orom-Cross’s overall scale and development readiness as Blencowe continues parallel strategic and funding discussions. Beehive has so far been defined over about 1,200m of strike and 480m of width, with scope for further extensions beyond the current drill lines.
Blencowe executive chairperson Cameron Pearce framed the results as continuing a run of positive news for the project. “Following the recent maiden Iyan Jorc mineral resource of 16.9-million tonnes, which increased total Orom-Cross mineral resources by 66% to 43 million tonnes, Beehive remains the next clear growth lever as we progress toward a maiden Beehive mineral resource update this quarter,” said Pearce. He added that the continuity and thickness now being demonstrated could translate into materially higher overall tonnage, “We would expect the continuity and thickness being demonstrated at Beehive to translate into a material increase in overall tonnage, subject to completion of assay flow, modelling and Jorc reporting.”
Pearce also positioned the project within the broader critical minerals landscape, pointing to Orom-Cross’s access to renewable hydroelectric power and expanding resource base as strategic assets. “With access to renewable hydroelectric power and an expanding resource base, Orom-Cross continues to be positioned as an integral part of the Western markets’ drive for secure, non-China critical mineral supply chains, supporting downstream pathways and longer-term offtake discussions,” concluded Pearce. For a critical minerals market increasingly focused on supply chain diversification away from China, Beehive’s shallow-drilling results give Blencowe another concrete data point to bring to offtake and funding conversations with the maiden resource update due this quarter set to be the next major catalyst.
