Chilwa Minerals Doubles Drilling Capacity at Mpyupyu to Accelerate Critical Minerals Discovery

• Second diamond rig deployed to Mpyupyu Nakombe target
• Over 1,050 metres drilled across six holes with further assays awaited
• Discovery of significant niobium mineralisation with tantalum and gallium co-products
• Target lies within 2 km of existing Heavy Mineral Sands resources
• Revised Mineral Resource estimate expected late May 2026

Second Rig Accelerates Drilling at Mpyupyu

Chilwa Minerals (ASX:CHW) has ramped up its critical minerals campaign in southern Malawi with the mobilisation of a second diamond drill rig to its Mpyupyu target. The new rig joins the first at the Nakombe prospect, part of the broader Mpyupyu alkaline-syenite complex, where previous drilling intersected a previously unmapped peralkaline intrusion hosting significant niobium mineralisation. Both rigs are now operating within 175 metres of each other, underscoring the company's commitment to rapidly delineating the system's extent and grade continuity.

Multi-Commodity Discovery Expands Potential

The drilling campaign has so far completed approximately 1,050 metres across six holes, excluding earlier holes on the northern thorium anomaly. Results from three holes, including the standout MPYDD006 which confirmed a 120-metre downhole width of niobium-enriched intrusive phase, have been released, with assays from the remaining holes expected imminently. Notably, the discovery is not solely about niobium; tantalum and gallium have emerged as potential co-products within the same mineral assemblage, as indicated by ICP-MS results. This multi-commodity footprint enhances the strategic value of the Lake Chilwa licence, which already hosts JORC-defined Heavy Mineral Sands (HMS) resources nearby.

This multi-commodity angle builds on the company’s earlier confirmation of a significant niobium discovery at Mpyupyu, which revealed an evolved alkaline intrusive system with tantalum and gallium associations. The ongoing drilling and assay program is designed to clarify the geometry and lateral continuity of this system ahead of a maiden resource estimate, scheduled for late May 2026. The integration of detailed XRF and QEMSCAN analyses will further refine the understanding of mineral phases and support metallurgical testwork.

Strategic Positioning Within Lake Chilwa Licence

The Mpyupyu target's proximity to the company’s existing HMS deposits; including the Mpyupyu Dune and Flat deposits; highlights the exceptional multi-commodity potential of the Lake Chilwa licence. Chilwa is advancing four concurrent exploration programs within this licence, encompassing carbonatite-hosted REE exploration, ionic clay REE targeting, and the HMS project. This integrated approach positions the company uniquely within one of Africa’s most prospective underexplored alkaline provinces.

Technical challenges have arisen, such as the abandonment of drill hole MPYDD016 due to fractured ground, necessitating a re-drill at a different azimuth. These operational hurdles illustrate the complexities of exploring such a geologically intricate system but have not deterred the company’s accelerated drilling pace. The upcoming nine drill holes in the initial program aim to better constrain the intrusive system’s phase boundaries and lateral extent, with the target remaining open in multiple directions and at depth.

Chilwa’s Managing Director Cadell Buss emphasised the evolving understanding of the system's mineralisation styles and the significance of co-product metals beyond niobium. The company’s strategy to deploy two rigs simultaneously reflects confidence in the target’s potential and a clear intent to build a comprehensive resource picture.

This update follows the earlier major niobium discovery at Mpyupyu, which set the stage for the current drilling acceleration and multi-commodity focus. As assay results and metallurgical data flow in, Chilwa’s Lake Chilwa licence could soon reveal a more complex and valuable critical minerals system than initially envisaged.

Bottom Line?

Chilwa’s dual-rig push at Mpyupyu is a decisive step toward defining a multi-commodity critical minerals resource, but key assay results and metallurgical insights will be crucial to validate the project's commercial potential.

Questions in the middle?

• Will forthcoming ICP-MS assays confirm the tantalum and gallium grades needed to support multi-commodity development?
• How will the metallurgical characteristics revealed by QEMSCAN influence processing strategies for this alkaline syenite system?
• What impact will drilling challenges, such as fractured ground, have on the timeline and cost of resource definition?