Skeleton Coast Uranium has committed N$13.75 million to a two-year uranium exploration programme on a prospecting licence adjoining the Langer Heinrich mine in Namibia’s Erongo Region, with drilling planned for the second year if initial surveys identify sufficiently promising targets.
The Canadian-listed company announced on Tuesday that an application to renew Exclusive Prospecting Licence (EPL) 8208 had been submitted to Namibia’s Mining Commissioner, seeking another two years over the entire 7,840.7-hectare licence area.
The application was lodged on 2 October 2026, ahead of the licence’s expiry on 23 January 2027, and proposes extending its validity until 23 January 2029.
Skeleton Coast said it would fund the exploration programme in full under its property option and joint venture agreement with Pointe Noire Investments CC, the Namibian company holding the licence.
The planned expenditure comprises N$5.5 million during the first year for geological investigations, geophysical surveys and target identification, followed by N$8.25 million for drilling during the second year, subject to the results of the initial exploration programme.
The licence shares approximately 15 kilometres of boundary with the mining licences hosting Langer Heinrich, placing it within one of Namibia’s established uranium-producing areas.
Skeleton Coast chief executive Dr Nathan Chutas said the proposed programme would move the project from preliminary geological interpretation to systematic field investigations and drilling.
“The renewal application for EPL 8208, which shares approximately 15 kilometres of boundary with the Langer Heinrich uranium mine licences, sets out an aggressive, fully funded field exploration programme that prioritises methodical, high-reward methods for identifying and defining uranium targets. The first year, set to commence immediately upon renewal, is designed to identify those targets that warrant exploration drilling; the second year drills them,” Chutas said.
Although the company has identified preliminary uranium targets through geological studies and the reinterpretation of historical exploration information, no field drilling has yet been undertaken on EPL 8208 and no mineral resource has been established.
Skeleton Coast said the first exploration phase would include helicopter-borne radiometric and magnetic surveys, geological mapping, ground geophysical investigations, soil and rock sampling, and selected pitting and trenching.
The airborne surveys are intended to be conducted at 100-metre line spacing, providing more detailed information than the historical government surveys used to identify the preliminary exploration targets.
The company will also investigate buried ancient drainage channels, known as palaeochannels, that could potentially host uranium mineralisation similar to that found at Langer Heinrich.
A second exploration model will focus on uranium associated with leucogranite formations around the Etusis dome and Salem granite, geological environments comparable to those associated with the Rössing and Husab uranium deposits.
These two geological settings will form the basis of the exploration programme, allowing the company to investigate different types of uranium mineralisation within the same licence.
Skeleton Coast said its initial geological work had identified four preliminary targets and four anomaly outlines on EPL 8208, following a prospectivity assessment and reinterpretation of regional magnetic and radiometric data.
The targets were disclosed in an announcement issued on 8 October 2026.
However, the company cautioned that these remain preliminary exploration targets and that no uranium mineralisation has been established through field testing on the licence.
Drilling dependent on first-year results
The second phase of the programme will involve reverse circulation, rotary air blast and diamond drilling of targets identified during the first year.
Skeleton Coast has allocated N$8.25 million to this phase, but drilling will proceed only after a formal review of the initial exploration results.
The company said the first phase must identify at least three targets supported by coinciding radiometric, geochemical and geological evidence before the second-year drilling expenditure can be committed.
The drilling programme will also depend on the necessary environmental, park access and radiation authorisations remaining in force.
The staged approach is intended to ensure that drilling expenditure is directed towards targets supported by sufficient geological evidence rather than preliminary interpretations alone.
Skeleton Coast said the initial licence period had been used primarily to establish the technical and regulatory foundation for exploration.
EPL 8208 was granted on 24 January 2024 for three years, but the company said no mapping, sampling, ground or airborne surveys, pitting or drilling had been carried out within the licence during that period.
Instead, work concentrated on recovering and digitising historical exploration records, reviewing geological information and completing technical assessments.
A qualified person’s site visit was conducted in February 2026, followed by a technical report with an effective date of 22 April 2026, which was filed in August.
The company said expenditure attributable to the licence during its initial term exceeded the exploration programme approved when the licence was granted by more than three times, although this spending did not include physical exploration within the licence.
The proposed renewal programme therefore represents the first systematic field-testing phase for EPL 8208.
Exploration inside national park
The licence lies within the Namib-Naukluft National Park, meaning exploration activities will require additional environmental and access approvals.
Skeleton Coast said it was preparing to renew the project’s environmental clearance certificate, which expires on 24 January 2027.
The renewal process will include an updated environmental management plan covering the proposed drilling activities.
The company must also obtain park entry permits for field campaigns and comply with restrictions governing access routes, environmentally sensitive areas and rehabilitation.
Its environmental programme provides for the appointment of an environmental control officer, baseline radiation assessments and a radiation protection officer.
Additional authorisation will be required from the National Radiation Protection Authority for handling, storing and transporting uranium-bearing samples.
Skeleton Coast said consultation would also be undertaken with registered interested and affected parties and the Erongo Regional Council.
The company intends to begin ground exploration on EPL 8617 during the fourth quarter of 2026, while activities on EPL 8208 and other licences within the national park will depend on the necessary access permissions.
Option to acquire 75% interest
EPL 8208 remains legally registered to Pointe Noire Investments CC, with Skeleton Coast holding an option to acquire a controlling interest under an agreement concluded on 15 February 2026.
Under the agreement, Skeleton Coast can earn up to a 75% interest in EPL 8208 and EPL 9727 by spending at least C$3 million on exploration across the two licences by 30 June 2028.
The company has a broader Namibian exploration portfolio comprising five prospecting licences covering approximately 60,973 hectares, or 610 square kilometres, in the Erongo Region.
Its option agreements provide for exploration expenditure commitments totalling C$5 million across the five licences by June 2028.
The properties are situated near established uranium mining operations, including Langer Heinrich, Rössing and Husab, although proximity to producing mines does not establish the presence of economically recoverable uranium deposits on Skeleton Coast’s licences.
South African mining advisory firm Practara prepared the exploration programme submitted with the renewal application and manages exploration activities across the company’s Namibian licence portfolio.
Windhoek-based Excel Dynamic Solutions lodged the EPL 8208 renewal application and is preparing the environmental clearance renewal.
Skeleton Coast said the two-year programme would allow it to move from preliminary target identification to drilling, provided the renewal is approved and the first-year results meet the company’s requirements.
The Mining Commissioner has not yet approved the renewal application, and the proposed field programme remains dependent on the necessary regulatory and environmental authorisations.
