By: Zawya

UK-based minerals exploration firm Power Metal Resources has announced that geophysical surveys of copper prospects in the Block 8 exploration concession in Al Batinah North Governorate have identified promising mineralisation in two locations — results that strengthen earlier indications of the block’s copper potential.

London-listed Power Metal Resources and its majority-owned subsidiary, Power Arabia Ltd, made the announcement ahead of a much-anticipated maiden drilling programme that will seek to validate these preliminary findings. The exercise, involving an initial nine drill holes, is scheduled to begin on September 15, 2025 and follows the Ministry of Energy and Minerals’ renewal of the Block 8 licence for one year.

Block 8 is jointly held by Australia-listed Alara Resources and Oman-based Awtad Copper LLC. Exploration work is being carried out by Power Arabia under a formal agreement signed last October. Under the terms, Power Metal is entitled to earn a 12.5% stake in the project once commerciality is achieved.

Both locations fall within the Al Mansur Prospect, first identified in 2012 and later confirmed through trenching and mapping. Recent gravity survey work has pinpointed two strong underground targets, now named AM1 and AM2, extending over roughly 700 metres. Both exhibit unusually high readings that could indicate valuable sulphide mineral deposits beneath the surface. These zones may either be parts of the same mineralised body separated by faulting or two distinct but similar deposits.

Commenting on the development, Sean Wade, CEO of Power Metal Resources, said: “I am pleased to report further progress at Power Arabia's flagship project. The gravity survey results have been encouraging, highlighting two highly anomalous targets and I look forward to the maiden drill programme, which will enhance our understanding of the mineralisation while providing an initial indication of potential width, grade and strike related to these exciting anomalies”.

Alara Managing Director Atmavireshwar Sthapak added that exploration activities have now advanced to the critical target-testing phase through core drilling. “The Al Mansur prospect, first identified in Alara's 2012 exploration programme and more recently refined through gravity surveys, has yielded several anomalous targets now ready for drilling”, he noted. 

In addition to the Al Mansur work, Power Arabia says it has outlined next-stage exploration plans for at least three more target areas, all of which warrant more detailed evaluation to determine their discovery potential.

Investment in the exploration and development of Oman’s copper resources has surged in recent years, driven by the country’s economic diversification strategy and its ambition to secure a role in future supply chains serving the global energy transition. Copper, a vital component in renewable energy, electric vehicles and modern infrastructure, represents a critical mineral that can unlock significant economic opportunities for the Sultanate of Oman.