Canada's Geotech Drilling Services has secured a contract to complete the 2026 diamond drilling programme for IDEX Metals' Cu-Au-porphry prospect in Idaho, USA.
The Freeze Project, spanning 31,645 acres across the state's Washington and Adams counties, will see Geotech, part of the ConeTec Group, drill 10,000m across 20 holes, the majority of which will target depths 300 to 800m. The maximum designed depth is 1200m.
The 2026 campaign is expected to be carried out using two drill rigs. Mobilisation of the first is expected to arrive at the site in early June, with the second following shortly thereafter.
"We are absolutely thrilled with the momentum building at Freeze," said IDEX CEO Clayton Fisher.
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"The engagement of Geotech is a major step forward for the company and our 2026 exploration season. Geotech is a large, highly respected drilling organisation with deep technical experience, modern equipment and a track record of completing drilling programs in a wide array of environments all over the world. We believe they are the right partner to help execute the largest and most ambitious drill programme in IDEX's history."
Fisher said that preliminary results have been compelling enough to expand the programme.
"Filling in the gaps between the Kismet Corridor and the Cuddy Mine Target, extending lines onto USFS ground, and adding new lines over Shiver, gives us the ability to refine multiple high-priority targets before the drills begin to turn. This is exactly the kind of technical momentum we hoped to build at the start of this season, and we are more excited than ever about the scale of the opportunity developing at Freeze."
Based on April's preliminary results from the ongoing induced polarisation survey, IDEX will expand the initial 37km programme to 64km. This larger programme extends coverage to the north and south with an additional 21km to better evaluate the area between two emerging anomalies associated with the Cuddy Mine target. IDEX has also added six line-kilometres of IP coverage over the Shiver target aimed at advancing the site to drill-ready status.
Results from the 2025 drill on the Kismet target showed an interval of 101m at 1.02% Cu.
