LUSAKA – Australian uranium explorer Atomic Eagle has significantly expanded the mineralised footprint of its flagship Muntanga Uranium Project, reinforcing Zambia’s growing profile as a strategic destination for uranium investment amid rising global demand for nuclear energy.
The company announced that recent exploration drilling at the Chisebuka Deposit has successfully extended the known uranium resource area and identified additional higher-grade mineralised zones that could enhance the economics of a future large-scale mining operation.
According to a report by Business Insider Africa, the latest drilling campaign has expanded the northern high-grade uranium zone to a surface projection of approximately 900 metres by 600 metres, while a newly delineated south-western high-grade zone now extends roughly 830 metres by 400 metres.
The exploration success forms part of Atomic Eagle’s ongoing programme to unlock the full potential of the Muntanga project, which spans a 146-kilometre strike length near Lake Kariba and comprises four mining licences and two exploration licences.
The company reported that 42 drill holes covering 4,209 metres have now been completed at Chisebuka, with results confirming continuity of uranium mineralisation beyond previously established resource boundaries.
Chief Executive Officer Phil Hoskins said the first phase of the 2026 exploration programme had exceeded expectations by both expanding the existing resource and uncovering an additional higher-grade zone.
“Subject to further studies, Chisebuka is demonstrating the potential to be a major contributor towards the company’s target of a larger-scale mine,” Hoskins said.
The executive added that parallel exploration activities across the broader licence area had generated promising new targets that had never previously been drill-tested.
Ground radiometric surveys completed across six initial target areas have helped refine exploration priorities, while two drilling rigs have now been deployed at the Muntanga North prospect to commence the first phase of drilling.
Further exploration momentum is expected later this year after access clearance was secured for the Namakande 1 and Namakande 2 targets, where radiometric surveys are scheduled ahead of drilling planned for the third quarter of 2026.
The latest developments come as global uranium markets continue to benefit from renewed investment in nuclear power generation, driven by energy security concerns, decarbonisation targets and growing electricity demand from emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and data centres.
For Zambia, the expansion of uranium exploration activity represents a potential opportunity to diversify its mining sector beyond copper, attracting fresh foreign direct investment and strengthening its position within the global critical minerals value chain.
Atomic Eagle has also indicated plans to commence diamond drilling during the fourth quarter of 2026 to obtain core samples for metallurgical testing and grade verification, key steps toward advancing the project’s long-term development strategy.
The continued expansion of mineralised zones at Chisebuka is expected to play an important role in future resource growth and feasibility studies as the company works towards establishing what could become one of Zambia’s emerging uranium mining operations.
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