Expanded drilling capacity positions the Company to simultaneously advance resource expansion, resource conversion and regional discovery across the 55 km Kibara Gold Belt while first 2026 assays are expected in the coming weeks.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 15, 2026) - Avanti Gold Corp. (CSE: AGC) (FSE: X370) (OTCQB: AVTGF) ("Avanti" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a significant acceleration of exploration activities at its flagship Misisi Gold Project ("The Project") in the Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC") through the expansion of its active drilling fleet from two to four rigs immediately, with six rigs expected to be operating by the end of July. The expanded fleet materially increases the Company's drilling capacity as it advances the largest exploration program in the history of the project, designed to grow and upgrade the existing 3.11 Moz NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resource while systematically testing multiple high-priority targets along the 55-kilometre Kibara Gold Belt.
HIGHLIGHTS
Active drill fleet doubles from two to four rigs immediately, increasing to six rigs by month-end.
Expanded fleet enables simultaneous execution of Phase 1 resource growth drilling and Phase 2 regional exploration.
One newly mobilized Reverse Circulation ("RC") drill rig will be dedicated to pre-collaring, improving drilling productivity, increasing daily metreage and reducing overall drilling costs.
First batches of 2026 drill core have been submitted to SGS Laboratories in Mwanza, Tanzania, with initial assay results expected in the coming weeks.
2026 program represents more than twice the historical drilling completed at The Project and is designed to expand and upgrade the existing 3.11 Moz Inferred Mineral Resource while testing new discoveries across the 55 km Kibara Gold Belt.
FLEET EXPANSION AND RC PRE-COLLARING STRATEGY
As previously announced on April 23, 2026, the Company commenced its 42,000-metre 2026 exploration program with two diamond drill rigs active on site. Today's announcement represents the next step in the planned ramp-up of the Company's drilling capacity at The Project.
The newly mobilized RC rig will play a critical operational role by pre-collaring drill holes through the upper, predominantly weathered portions of each drill target, allowing the diamond drill rigs to focus exclusively on core drilling through the mineralized zones. This approach is expected to materially improve drilling efficiency, increase daily meterage productivity, reduce overall drilling unit costs, and accelerate completion of the Phase 1 program. The integration of RC pre-collaring with diamond core drilling is a proven operational approach widely used across West and Central African gold exploration programs, and its adoption at Misisi reflects the Company's commitment to maximizing drilling productivity.