Minco announces 2010 drilling programme

Irish exploration and development company Minco has unveiled its 2010 exploration programme on the Pallas Green zinc-lead project in County Limerick, Irleand.The €7m programme, undertaken with its joint venture partner Xstrata Zinc, will entail about 70,000 metres of diamond drilling in about 150 drill holes, and will focus on three main objectives: increasing the tonnage and grade of the Tobermalug deposit; exploring for lateral extensions of the Tobermalug deposit and exploring for additional ore deposits within the greater Caherconlish area.'Minco believes the current resource potential outlined at Tobermalug is at or close to the threshold required for an economic zinc/lead mine. The objective for 2010 is to increase the resource in and around Tobermalug to at least 15 million tonnes with a combined grade of at least 12% zinc+lead,' said Minco chief executive, Terence McKillen.