North Shore Uranium Ltd. has completed Phase 1 of its first drill program at the Rio Puerco uranium project in the Grants Uranium District of northwestern New Mexico, finishing 13 rotary drill holes totaling 2,828 metres (9,274 feet).

The campaign marks the first significant drilling at the project since the 1970s. The primary objective is to validate and evaluate historical exploration data generated by Kerr-McGee Mining Corporation in the 1960s and 1970s. Each site selected by North Shore is a twin of a historical mud rotary hole where uranium mineralization was identified using a gamma ray probe, with twin confirmation core holes also drilled by Kerr-McGee at three of the 13 sites.

During the program, 14.6 cm vertical mud rotary holes were drilled by Harris Exploration Drilling and Associates, with samples collected at 1.5-metre intervals for lithology logging and scintillometer radioactivity readings. Century Geophysical Corporation subsequently completed downhole geophysical surveys using a calibrated multi-parameter logging tool, taking natural gamma ray, resistivity, and spontaneous potential measurements. Natural gamma ray data is used for $ ext{eU}_3 ext{O}_8$ grade estimation, though actual grades may ultimately vary.

Rio Puerco hosts a historical resource estimate of 6.0 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.09% $ ext{eU}_3 ext{O}_8$ containing 11.4 million pounds of $ ext{U}_3 ext{O}_8$, reported in 2009. Uranium is currently priced at US$87.15 per pound, reflecting a 1.81% change over the 30-day period ending August 13, 2026.

“We are excited to complete the first significant drilling at Rio Puerco since the 1970s. We are now analyzing the results from the program and look forward to reporting them in the near future. New Mexico is a great place to work. With its rich uranium mining history and a number of established uranium resources, we think that the state has the potential to become a leader in the USA's push to produce more uranium in the future.”

— Brooke Clements, President and CEO

North Shore is currently analyzing the Phase 1 results to refine targets for Phase 2, and intends to return to the project in the fourth quarter of 2026 following the summer monsoon season. The company holds permits to drill up to 26 holes totaling approximately 5,975 metres (19,600 feet).

Read the full announcement: North Shore Completes Phase 1 Drilling at Rio Puerco