Australian firm unveils 75,000m drill programme for massive Reg. 7 gold project

Aug 03, 2026 News

---

(Kaieteur News) – Australian-listed Altair Minerals Limited has unveiled the largest inaugural gold exploration campaigns.

Altair is set to embark on a fully funded 75,000-metre drilling programme for its Greater Oko Gold Project spanning 590 square kilometres contiguous mining lands in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Greater Oko is twice the combined size of every active gold project in Guyana. The Greater Oko has positioned Altair as the “most dominant explorer” in Guyana. The project area consists of four advanced targets: South Oko (Soko), North Peters (NP), Old Granny (OG) and Kmung (KM).  Altair’s initial exploration work is focusing on Soko and NP.

The 18-month exploration strategy follows the company’s capital raise of approximately AU$38 million, which allows it to significantly scale up exploration activities across the Greater Oko land package. The programme comprises 40,000 metres of diamond drilling and 35,000 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling across both established prospects and new regional targets.

The company said two additional RC drill rigs have already been secured and are ready for mobilisation. One will be deployed at South Oko while the other will operate at North Peters alongside the existing diamond drill rig.

Altair also announced plans to undertake a LiDAR survey (an advanced remote sensing method that uses rapid laser pulses from drones, planes, or ground tools to measure distances and build exact 3D models of the earth) covering more than 400 square kilometres beginning in early August. According to the company, the survey is expected to produce the largest and most comprehensive LiDAR dataset collected in Guyana, allowing geologists to map structures, lithologies, alluvial fields, access routes and geomorphological features while identifying new drill targets.

Altair Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Faheem Ahmed, said the expanded programme is aimed at unlocking multiple major discoveries across the district.

“I’m pleased to unveil our updated and upscaled exploration plans across Greater Oko. Our updated exploration plan was designed with the objective of uncovering multiple world class discoveries across the unparalleled Greater Oko land package, which is at the forefront of our long-term strategy.”

He explained that the company’s immediate focus will centre on South Oko and North Peters.

Ahmed said the extended rainy season allowed the company to strengthen geological interpretations, improve target selection and expand its technical team before commencing drilling.

He added that the company is fully funded to undertake exploration across five districts. “We are fully funded to execute a substantial drill and exploration campaign across 5 districts at Greater Oko: SOKO, NP, Kmung, Mara-Mara, East Puruni.”

As previously reported by Kaieteur News, the Australian explorer entered into an agreement with Guyanese company Adamantium Exploration Inc. that allows it to expand its landholdings in the Oko district from approximately 590 square kilometres to as much as 3,500 square kilometres.

Last year, the company acquired the right to earn-in up to 70% interest in the Greater Oko Project. After nine months of negotiations, Altair was able to enter into a binding heads of agreement in August 2025 with Adamantium, a company that is owned by the Alphonso family.

Notably, Altair is the third explorer to enter the Oko corridor, following Canadian mining firms G Mining Ventures (GMIN) and G2 Goldfields. South Oko is positioned 1.5 km south of Oko West project which is owned by GMIN. Altair had outlined that GMIN and G2’s exploration success has already validated the untapped potential, establishing multiple tier-1 discoveries made from grassroot exploration campaigns. It added that GMIN’s and G2’s results achieved within a small fraction of the project area validate the potential for multi-million-ounce discoveries.

Altair has previously described Greater Oko as having the potential to become its “company maker” and one of the largest gold exploration projects in both Guyana and the wider Guiana Shield.

This publication reported that Altair on its website, painted Guyana as the “last truly pro-mining” and politically stable country within the Guiana Shield. It also highlighted that Guyana mining areas host geology similar that of West African countries. Altair explained that Guyana’s mining lands consists of the same Birimian Greenstone Belt that has underpinned world-class gold discoveries across West Africa, including in Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso. Altair noted however, that unlike extensive exploration in the African nations, Guyana remains significantly underexplored.

---

• Altair Minerals Limited, gold exploration, Gold Project, Oko district

---