Fresh drilling results from Australian miner Midas Minerals at its Otavi Copper Project in Namibia have delivered more high-grade copper and silver findings, increasing optimism among investors that the southern African nation may host one of the region’s largest untapped copper resources.
Recent exploration work at the T-13 Copper-Silver Deposit uncovered extensive areas of strong mineralisation, with multiple drill intersections returning more than 4% copper equivalent over notable widths as the company intensifies expansion activities at the site.
One of the standout intersections came from drill hole T13DD009, which recorded 46.2 metres at 4.01% copper equivalent starting from 193.2 metres below surface. Within that interval were richer sections of 9.7 metres grading 6.55% copper equivalent and another 10.6 metres at 7.45% copper equivalent.
A separate hole, identified as T13DD013, delivered 41.9 metres grading 3.70% copper equivalent, including an especially high-grade section of 11.6 metres at 7.90% copper equivalent.
These new results are boosting attention on Namibia’s copper industry as mining firms and investors worldwide race to secure critical minerals essential for electric vehicles, renewable power systems and battery manufacturing.
Rising global shift to clean energy drives copper demand
Worldwide appetite for copper has climbed sharply as countries and industries accelerate the transition toward electrification and low-carbon energy technologies, placing mineral-rich and politically stable jurisdictions under greater focus.
According to African Mining Market, Midas Minerals said drilling on the western extension of the T-13 deposit is beginning to uncover another promising mineralised area. The first infill drill hole roughly 600 metres west of the Main Zone returned 27 metres grading 1.46% copper equivalent from 286.8 metres, including six metres at 3.20% copper equivalent.
The miner said ongoing drilling is helping define the structure, continuity and overall size of higher-grade mineralisation throughout the wider T-13 system, which currently stretches across around 1.4 kilometres of strike length.
Situated in Namibia’s Otavi Mountain Land, the Otavi Copper Project lies in a region known historically for high-grade copper production and well-developed mining infrastructure. The country has continued to strengthen its reputation as one of Africa’s preferred mining investment destinations due to political stability, mining-friendly regulations and a long-established extractive industry.
Earlier, Midas Minerals released an initial resource estimate for the T-13 deposit of 10.5 million tonnes grading 1.6% copper alongside 21 grams per tonne of silver. The estimate suggests the deposit contains approximately 169,000 tonnes of copper and 7.1 million ounces of silver.
An updated mineral resource estimate is expected later in 2026 once the ongoing drilling programme is completed.
Managing director Mark Calderwood said the latest exploration campaign is continuing to outperform expectations.
“Infill drilling of the high-grade Main Zone at T-13 continues to return better than expected drill intercepts of about 4% CuEq over wide intervals,” Calderwood stated.
He further noted that drilling in the western part of the deposit increasingly indicates the presence of another higher-grade mineralised zone that could substantially enlarge the broader system.
At present, the company has five drill rigs operating across the Otavi project. Two diamond rigs are working at T-13, another two are active at the Deblin Copper-Gold-Silver Deposit, while one reverse-circulation rig is drilling at the Spaatzu prospect. An additional core drilling rig is also expected to commence work shortly.
The intensified exploration campaign highlights the growing global contest among mining companies to secure long-term copper resources as the clean energy transition gathers pace and demand for strategic minerals continues rising.