Kevin Keough on Preparing to Drill the Trek South Copper-Gold Target in the Golden Triangle

In a recent InvestorNews interview with Tracy Hughes, Kevin Keough, CEO and Director of Oreterra Metals Corp. (TSXV: OTMC), discussed the company’s upcoming maiden drill program at Trek South, a copper-gold porphyry target located in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle. The discussion also covered a recently announced royalty transaction involving Enduro Metals Corporation and updates on the company’s exploration projects in British Columbia, Nevada, and Ontario.

For Keough, the excitement surrounding Trek South stems from one simple fact: this is not a previously drilled prospect being revisited. It is an entirely new target.

“We’ve developed the Trek South prospect as a new-to-science target over the last several years,” Keough explained. “Nature has basically given us a huge target that looks very juicy as a potential porphyry copper-gold discovery in the making.”

The target itself emerged as glacial retreat exposed previously inaccessible geology. Extensive fieldwork, mapping, geochemical analysis, and surface observations have led Oreterra’s technical team to believe they are drilling directly into a large porphyry system.

Unlike many early-stage exploration projects where drilling seeks to determine whether mineralization exists at all, Keough believes the company already has evidence that mineralized porphyry is present at surface.

“We can see the porphyry in the bare rock. We know there are values of metal right on surface, so we’ll be drilling in the system from day one.”

The initial phase of the program will comprise approximately 4,600 metres of drilling. While that may seem modest compared to larger development-stage projects, Keough emphasized that discovery—not resource definition—is the objective.

“What we need is one or two drill holes that give us several hundred metres of porphyry-style grades. If we achieve that kind of thing, we’ll know very quickly what we have.”

Trek South’s location further strengthens the investment thesis. The property is situated immediately adjacent to the Galore Creek project, one of Canada’s largest undeveloped copper-gold-silver deposits. Galore Creek is currently held through a joint venture between Newmont Corporation and Teck Resources Limited.

“Our property essentially injects itself into a massive land package controlled by the majors,” Keough noted. “We’re about six kilometres from Galore Creek. If we succeed, we’re strategically positioned right next door.”

The Golden Triangle has long been recognized as one of the world’s premier mineral districts, hosting numerous major discoveries and producing mines. The combination of world-class geology, improving infrastructure, and growing strategic demand for copper has placed renewed attention on the region.

For Oreterra, the objective is clear.

The company is seeking the type of large-scale porphyry system that major mining companies ultimately acquire and develop.

“We find these beasts, advance them, quantify them, and potentially sell them,” said Keough. “That’s exactly what we did at GT Gold with the Saddle North discovery.”

Keough’s reference to GT Gold is particularly relevant. As former CEO of GT Gold Corp., he helped lead the discovery and advancement of the Saddle North copper-gold porphyry deposit, which ultimately attracted the attention of Newmont Corporation. The company was acquired in a transaction valued at approximately C$456 million.

That experience is directly influencing Oreterra’s approach to Trek South.

“We learned how to drill these systems, how to define them, and how to position them for acquisition,” Keough said. “We’re essentially replicating that successful model.”

Alongside its exploration efforts, Oreterra has also been advancing a potentially valuable royalty asset.

The company recently announced a transaction involving Enduro Metals and the Newmont Lake property. The agreement would provide Enduro with an option to reduce an existing royalty burden while generating significant value for Oreterra.

According to Keough, the transaction could ultimately exceed $22 million through a combination of cash, shares, and future royalty-related payments.

“It’s a good example of how valuable royalties in the Golden Triangle can become,” he said. “Even in the near term, we’re looking at meaningful cash and share payments.”

While the long-term value of the transaction will depend on exploration success at Newmont Lake, Keough noted that initial consideration could provide important non-dilutive funding for Oreterra’s ongoing programs.

The company’s broader project portfolio also continues to evolve.

In Nevada, Oreterra is advancing the Kinkaid property within the Walker Lane trend, where recent fieldwork has identified what management believes may be a large porphyry system. In northwestern Ontario, the Lundmark Lake project is attracting renewed attention due to its proximity to the Musselwhite gold district and the presence of multiple volcanogenic massive sulphide and intrusive-related targets.

Despite these opportunities, management remains focused on Trek South.

“This summer is about Trek South,” Keough emphasized. “If we hit, we’re going full on.”

The timing may prove advantageous.

Copper has emerged as one of the world’s most strategically important metals, driven by electrification, artificial intelligence infrastructure, energy transition investments, and growing concerns about future supply deficits. Gold, meanwhile, continues to benefit from geopolitical uncertainty and central bank demand.

Trek South also contains silver, tungsten, and tellurium mineralization, providing potential exposure to additional strategic commodities. However, Keough remains focused on the project’s primary targets.

“Most of the rock value, if we really hit it, will be in the copper and the gold.”

For investors who follow early-stage exploration, few events carry greater significance than a maiden drill program on an undrilled target. It represents the moment when years of geological interpretation are finally tested against reality.

As Oreterra prepares to mobilize drills into the Golden Triangle, the coming weeks could determine whether Trek South joins the growing list of significant discoveries emerging from one of Canada’s most productive mining districts.

And if Keough’s confidence proves well-founded, the company may soon find itself advancing another major copper-gold system in a region already attracting the attention of some of the world’s largest mining companies.

Watch the full InvestorNews interview with Kevin Keough, CEO & Director of Oreterra Metals Corp. (TSXV: OTMC), to learn more about the Trek South drill program, the Enduro royalty transaction, and the company’s broader exploration strategy.

To access the complete interview, click here

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