TSX-V-, OTCQX- and Frankfurt-listed Surge Copper Corp has completed its 2025 multidisciplinary drilling and field programme at its Berg project in central British Columbia, Canada, marking a key step toward a prefeasibility study (PFS) planned for the first half of 2026.

The company said the programme was designed to advance the Berg project toward completion of the PFS and focused on upgrading mineral resources, validating historic drilling data and completing technical and environmental studies required for mine design and permitting.

Surge Copper reported on January 8 that four infill drill holes completed last year successfully intersected the outer margins of the Berg deposit. The company said these results are expected to support the conversion of continuous porphyry-style mineralisation from the Inferred category into higher-confidence indicated and measured resource categories in a future mineral resource update.

In addition to the infill drilling, the company said it resampled 17 historic core drill holes using modern analytical methods and quality assurance and quality control protocols. According to the company, this work has materially increased confidence in the historic dataset and allows it to be used in future mineral resource classification and estimation.

The resampling and re-assaying of historic core also identified a meaningful silver component in the northwestern portion of the Berg deposit. Surge Copper said multiple drill holes in this area now show long intervals with elevated silver grades, and that when combined with the 2025 infill drilling results, copper-equivalent values have increased in an area targeted for resource category conversion. The company said these results may have a positive impact on future resource estimates.

Surge Copper also completed dedicated drilling programmes focused on acid rock drainage and geotechnical conditions. The company said this work provided critical environmental and engineering data required for mine design and permitting, and forms part of the technical foundation needed to advance the project toward pre-feasibility.

Surge Copper CEO Leif Nilsson said the 2025 programme delivered data required to move the project forward.

“The 2025 drill programme at Berg delivered the critical technical data required to advance the project toward prefeasibility, including information to support resource category upgrades, geotechnical design, and environmental geochemistry,” he said.

He added that the programme was completed safely and on schedule, and highlighted the significance of the historic core resampling results.

“In addition to achieving our technical objectives, the resampling of historic core revealed a meaningful precious metal component, particularly silver, in the northwestern portion of the deposit, enhancing copper-equivalent value and highlighting potential upside ahead of our next resource update,” Nilsson said.

The company said the completed 2025 work programme positions the Berg project for the planned mineral resource update and PFS in the first half of 2026.