Rome Resources starts North American critical metals exploration programme
London-listed tin and copper exploration company Rome Resources is set to begin its 2026 field programme at the New Brunswick tin/tungsten/indium project this week, as part of an option agreement to explore 109 km² near the Mount Pleasant mine deposit, in Canada.
The company will cap exploration costs at C$150 000 before deciding to exercise its option to acquire working interests in the project.
The 2026 field programme targets tin, tungsten and indium mineralisation in a highly prospective North American critical minerals district and is expected to include more than 500 samples which are likely to be taken for assays in a mixture of surface and trench sampling across the three main target areas.
The target areas include the Schoullar Mountain, located a few kilometres east of the Mount Pleasant tungsten mine, Square Lake, situated on the eastern greisenised margin of the Mount Douglas granite and Victoria Lake, where grades of up to 1.4% of tin have been identified in surface sampling.
“The Mount Douglas granite system hosts one of the most prospective tin/tungsten/indium districts in eastern Canada, including the historic Mount Pleasant tungsten mine. The potential for tin, tungsten and indium resources in the Mount Douglas and associated granite systems potentially represents a significant opportunity for the company and, with tungsten now firmly established as a strategically important critical mineral, we are delighted to be advancing the first field programme as operator across the project area.
“The enthusiasm shown by the province of New Brunswick for developing its resources demonstrates that we are pushing on an open door, and we look forward to potentially unlocking the potential of this highly prospective region, subject to the exercise of the option,” says Rome Resources CEO Paul Barrett.
Rome Resources has received provincial backing as it has been awarded an exploration grant covering a portion of its 2026 field programme expenditures, in accordance with New Brunswick’s state policy of supporting mineral exploration.
The company’s decision to explore in New Brunswick reflects the prospectivity of the district and its position within a stable North American mining jurisdiction, as the region hosts extensive granite-related mineralisation, including critical minerals such as tin, tungsten and indium, commodities which will continue to attract increasing strategic attention globally.
Ongoing work is also taking place for an updated mineral resource estimate for the Bisie North project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and market updates on this and the geophysical survey operations will be provided in due course.
