Critical Metals (LSE:CRTM) has begun its 2026 field programme at the Molulu Copper/Cobalt Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following programme authorisation, funding release and mobilisation.
The mining company, which is developing Molulu as part of its strategy to acquire opportunities in the critical and strategic metals sector, said the work started within its planned operational window of 1 to 8 October.
Personnel and equipment have been mobilised and site preparation is under way, subject to final site confirmation.
Molulu is a historically producing copper/cobalt project in the Katangan Copperbelt, around 100 kilometres from Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga territory, an area mined for copper since the late 19th century and known for some of the world's richest copper, cobalt and uranium deposits.
The programme covers surveying, mapping, trenching and sampling, with quality assurance and control processes feeding into data integration to assess the initial target.
"Our priority is to establish whether the initial target can support scout mining which will be determined by the results of the field programme," said Danilo Lange, chief executive of Critical Metals.
The company said it will report initial findings once the data has been validated and reviewed.