Kodiak Copper sees its stock almost triple on drill results
Discovery viewed as “transformative”
Today I take a look at junior copper miner, Kodiak Copper (TSXV: KDK | OTC: KDKCF). Kodiak saw its stock price almost triple in the past week after announcing drill results, including 282 m of 0.70% Copper and 0.49 g/t Gold (1.16% CuEq) at their advanced MPD copper-gold porphyry project in British Columbia, Canada.
Kodiak Copper almost triples on a drill result last week
The copper price, currently at US$2.98/lb, has started to recover lately as global activity comes back from the initial shock of COVID-19. Looking further ahead, in the next 10 years there is a clear demand surge about to hit from the coming booms in electric vehicles and renewable energy.
From a supply perspective declining global copper grades and a lack of new projects means less copper output is expected. Higher copper prices will be needed to incentivize new copper projects.
Any copper companies that can bring a growing, low cost, production of new copper supply to market this decade should do very well.
Analysts are forecasting a future copper deficit to emerge in the 2020s
Source: Courtesy CRU Group
Copper demand vs. supply forecast
The drill results
Kodiak announced on September 3, 2020 the discovery of a significant high-grade copper-gold extension of the recently discovered Gate Zone at the company’s 100% owned MPD copper-gold porphyry project in southern British Columbia, with a drill result of “282 m of 0.70% Copper and 0.49 g/t Gold (1.16% CuEq), Including 45.7 m of 1.41% Copper and 1.46 g/t Gold (2.75% CuEq).”
Chris Taylor, Chairman of Kodiak commented that, “as compelling as our 2019 discovery of the Gate Zone was, it now appears we had only grazed the margins of a much stronger copper-gold zone which we have now successfully targeted. Our new results include discovery of a central high-grade copper-gold zone within the wider copper-gold mineralized envelope of the Gate Zone. These drill results are among the strongest that have been reported from this well-established copper mining district in southern British Columbia.”
Claudia Tornquist, President and CEO of Kodiak, added they viewed “this new discovery as transformative for the project, and by extension for Kodiak, and pointed specifically to the “new high gold values, which we would have viewed as a successful stand-alone gold discovery in the absence of any copper.” She said that Kodiak anticipates “a very active remainder of 2020, and that 2021 will be our most exciting and productive year so far.”
Kodiak Copper’s projects
Kodiak is focused on its portfolio of 100% owned copper porphyry projects in Canada and the USA.
- MPD Copper-Gold Porphyry Project in the prolific Quesnel Trough in southern British Columbia, Canada, where the Company made a discovery of high-grade mineralization in 2020 (as mentioned above).
- Mohave Copper-Molybdenum-Silver Porphyry Project in Arizona, USA, near the world-class Bagdad Mine.
- Kahuna Diamond Project in Nunavut, Canada, hosts a high-grade, near surface inferred diamond resource and numerous kimberlite pipe targets.
Note: Both of Kodiak’s porphyry projects have been historically drilled and present known mineral discoveries with the potential to hold large-scale deposits.
Kodiak Copper’s 3 projects location map
Kodiak was founded by Chris Taylor who is well known for founding Great Bear Resources (TSXV: GBR) (Market cap C$897m), which made a highly significant gold discovery. Kodiak is also part of the Discovery Group of companies led by John Robins, one of the most successful mining entrepreneurs in Canada.
Closing remarks
Juniors that can find and grow good size copper resources will be handsomely rewarded, especially if their project is located in a safe jurisdiction. It is still very early days for Kodiak Copper as they continue to explore and work to develop a resource. Further drill results are expected before the end of the year.
As experienced resource investors know, porphyry projects are usually lower grade but large. What excited the market so much last week was that Chris Taylor may have again discovered something big in Canada. Given the market cap is still only C$65m, if the project can continue to progress and grow a significant resource this may only be the beginning for Kodiak Copper.