Transcription of The Stock Network Interview with Kincora Copper (ASX:KCC, TSXV:KCC), President and CEO Sam Spring
Lel Smits: Kincora Copper has reported strong quarterly progress across its hybrid prospect generator strategy with partner-funded drilling underway, new next-generation technology partnerships and multiple corporate discussions progressing across its New South Wales copper gold portfolio. The company’s activities include ongoing drilling with Anglo Gold Ashanti. And joining me today to discuss more is President and CEO Sam Spring to discuss drilling momentum, new technology partnerships and the upcoming catalysts across the portfolio.
Sam, welcome back to the Stock Network.
Sam Spring: Thank you all for having us on.
Lel Smits: Now, Kincora has drilling underway across both partner-funded and self-funded projects with Anglo Gold Ashanti continuing to return encouraging copper gold results.
That’s at the Northern Guinea Narrow Mine Belt and also drilling recently commencing at Condobolin. Sam, what really are the key exploration milestones that investors should be watching really over the coming quarters?
Sam Spring: Yeah, and as you say there, Lil, we’ve just started drilling at our Condobolin project on a 100% on basis. And we’ve been drilling since the beginning of the year at Nevattai South in partnership with Anglo Gold Ashanti.
And what we’re seeing visually is really strong results at both projects. So that should be a pretty exciting period for us as we get those results coming out into the market in the upcoming quarter. So it’s really pleasing to see two of our eight projects being advanced with the drill bit and there’s various conversations taking place.
In the background, I guess really during the quarter we saw hitting a pretty significant milestone of over 20,000 metres of drilling and over 10 million of partner-funded drilling to date since we’ve pursued our hybrid prospect generator model.
Lel Smits: Excellent. And really when it comes to integrating AI and quantum technologies, you’ve entered new partnerships with Geomorphic AI and also Atomionics to combine AI driven targeting and quantum gravity technology with traditional geological exploration.
How could these next-generation technologies improve discovery success? Also, how do you think they’ll be accelerating project development really across the portfolio?
Sam Spring: Yeah, and we’re really excited in 2026 to have two of these new generation explorer partnerships and Atomionics we’re in conversations with, they’re interpreting a traditional survey that we’ve just done at our Cowleys project and they’re coming out and utilising their new quantum proprietary system and we’re working with them in sort of timing and scheduling for that. So that’s a key item to keep an eye out for. And I guess with Geomorphic AI, there’s a range of different things that we’re looking to work with them we’ve got a traditional geological review ongoing for our Trundle and Fairholme projects have real advanced flagship projects in New South Wales.
They’re doing reviews on that review being done by the traditional consultants. That’s a real mix of traditional exploration with cutting edge technology. And what we’re seeing with these just couple of examples is it really does mean that there’s a greater bandwidth, a lot more capacity, a lot more efficiency that we’re able to integrate complex data sets and have that geological loop and feedback.
So I think really that’s the way the industry is going and we’re very glad to give our shareholders exposure to that.
Lel Smits: Fantastic and Sam finally, copper prices, they have been staying strong. What do you see as the key drivers behind the copper market strength and also how important is that backdrop for companies like Kinkora?
Sam Spring: Yeah, and that’s something that’s really happened in the background.
I think the focus obviously has been on the Middle East and there was a, we still don’t know how that’s gonna play out, but you’ve seen the copper price really marching on very strongly. And that’s more recently being driven by the production results from the fourth quarter, further concerns regarding Grasberg supply coming back on stream, how tight the TCRC market is. So I think the fundamentals are really quite attractive there in the copper space.
And we’re seeing that with our asset level conversations that we’re having with new potential partners. So I think that’s a really favourable outlook where those producers are still making very good margins or indeed record margins. So I think that’s a really attractive backdrop for the business model we’re pursuing.
Lel Smits: Well, Sam, I appreciate the highlights from a very busy quarter. I look forward to seeing and hearing what happens next.
Sam Spring: Thank you, Lel. It should be even a busier one coming up.
Ends