07:09 AM EDT, 09/16/2024 (MT Newswires) -- New Gold ( NGD ) said drilling in the eastern part of the New Afton mine in British Columbia continues to intersect high-grade copper-gold porphyry mineralization.

Drilling at K-Zone delivered results that exceeded previously reported grades and intersected additional mineralized lenses to the north, the company said on Monday in an update on its exploration program. The copper-gold mineralized system extends over 300 meters in strike and locally exceeded 50 meters in width.

Borehole EA24-510 at K-Zone intersected 2.83% copper mineralization and 1.90 grams per tonne (g/t) gold over 84 meters, including 4.18% copper mineralization and 3.03 g/t gold over 50 meters. This was some of the best grade discovered to date at New Afton, the company said.

New drilling at the HW Zone intersected high-grade copper-gold mineralization within the lower part, such as 1.05% copper mineralization and 1.08 g/t gold over 51 meters, including 1.75% copper mineralization and 1.49 g/t gold over 16 meters.

"The eastern sector of the mine, which includes the spectacular grades of K-Zone, new high-grade mineralization at HW Zone, and the existing East Extension mineral resource, is developing into a promising opportunity for a new high-grade mining area," said Patrick Godin, president and CEO of New Gold ( NGD ).

The company plans to add $3 million to its 2024 New Afton exploration program, which will provide about 10,000 meters of additional drilling to continue defining the footprint of the eastern high-grade zones from the exploration drift.