Rome Resources Discovers Significant Tin Zone, Expanding Resource Potential in DRC

• Rome Resources discovered a significant tin zone in drill hole MADD030 on the eastern flank of Mont Agoma, extending 40 meters in shallow weathered sequence outside the known soil anomaly
• The discovery suggests either a new mineralized system or fault repetition, potentially opening the entire eastern flank for exploration beyond current known footprint
• Three rigs currently operating with four holes (737m) completed since May 13, all intersecting visual tin, copper, and zinc mineralization confirmed by XRF analysis
• MSA Group engaged to deliver first resource estimate by end of June 2025, with updated numbers planned for September following additional drilling and assays
• Company benefits from improving DRC security conditions and increased strategic investor interest, with neighboring Alphamin's recent acquisition by Abu Dhabi's IRH validating regional potential

Rome Resources PLC has announced a significant discovery at its flagship Bisie North project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the identification of a new tin zone that extends well beyond the company's previously known mineralized footprint. The discovery, made through drill hole MADD030, represents a potentially transformative development for the AIM-listed tin and base metals explorer.

Discovery Details & Geological Significance

Rome Resources in their recent press release reported a new tin zone intersected in drill hole MADD030, located on the northeastern flank of the Mont Agoma prospect. The hole encountered a 40-meter-wide tin-bearing zone at shallow depth, with initial Niton XRF readings confirming elevated tin levels. What makes this discovery particularly significant is its location well outside both the current mineralized footprint and the established tin-in-soil geochemical anomaly.

CEO Paul Barrett explained the geological model during an interview: 

"We've had in this area this broad shear zone, maybe a 500m to a kilometer wide.”

This structural understanding provides the framework for interpreting the new discovery. The company believes the discovery represents either a new tin system or a fault repetition of known mineralization. Barrett noted:

"If it is a fault repetition and it is the tin being brought nearer to the surface then clearly, as our model suggests,  the deeper we go in the sequence the better the tin…with a few more holes we'll be looking at a pretty decent tin mineralization zone."

Drilling Program & Operational Progress

Rome Resources currently operates three active drilling rigs at Mont Agoma, with four holes totaling 737 meters completed since May 13, 2025. All holes have intersected visual tin, copper, and zinc mineralization, confirmed through on-site XRF analysis. The broader mineralization zones include MADD023 with 50m of tin mineralization, MADD025 with 54m of tin, and MADD027 with 57m of tin, alongside significant copper and zinc intercepts.

Following the discovery in MADD030, the company has planned additional drilling to test the extension of this newly identified zone. 

"We want to drill two to the northwest. We've already got the pads cleared and ready to go and we'd like to drill one behind i.e deeper than 30." 

The drilling program has been designed to explore the deeper parts of the Mont Agoma prospect, with rigs positioned to drill underneath existing known mineralization. Barrett emphasized the methodical approach: 

"We basically have a clutch of pads that we've got ready to drill on that northeastern area and initially that northeastern area was going to be drilled so that we can drill underneath what we already have."

Resource Estimation & Development Timeline

Rome Resources has engaged MSA Group to complete the company's maiden resource estimate, with results expected by the end of June 2025 to coincide with the annual report publication. The resource estimate will cover tin, copper, and zinc across both the Kalayi and Mont Agoma prospects, with MSA having previously completed the company's CPR for AIM admission.

Barrett outlined the reporting approach: 

"Kalayi is just tin and Mont Agoma's copper, tin and zinc so those three will get split out." 

The company has deliberately chosen not to use metal equivalents, with Barrett explaining: 

"It can be misleading. I mean the thing is, if you have a lot of zinc, it's $2,000 a ton. You can't say that's equivalent to X tons of tin, it's just misleading so we won't be doing that."

An updated resource estimate incorporating the current drilling program is planned for September 2025, which should provide investors with a clearer picture of the expanded resource potential. The company expects this initial resource estimate will "only get bigger" as drilling continues to define the expanded footprint.

Interview with Chief Executive Officer, Paul Barrett

Metallurgical Studies & Technical Development

Rome Resources has initiated metallurgical studies with a Canadian laboratory to understand the extraction processes for the multi-metal system. The studies will begin with mineralogy work before progressing to metallurgy, focusing on how the layered system of copper and zinc near surface transitioning to tin at depth can be optimally processed.

Barrett acknowledged the early stage of this work:

"We have someone who is looking at …how if we have Mont Agoma stripped at the top with copper and zinc and as you work down into the tin, how that can all be extracted and all be put together as useful commodities."

The metallurgical results are expected in the fourth quarter of 2025, which will inform future process flow decisions and economic assessments. This technical work represents a crucial step toward understanding the commercial viability of the multi-metal deposit.

Regional Context & Strategic Positioning

The discovery comes at a favorable time for DRC-focused mining companies, with improved security conditions and increased strategic investor interest in the region. Barrett noted:

"The M23 situation has almost in a way entrenched back into Goma and Bukavu but is not out into the jungle."

The recent acquisition of neighboring Alphamin by Abu Dhabi's International Resources Holding for a significant premium has validated the region's strategic importance. Barrett reflected on this development: 

"I went to see the IRH guys in Abu Dhabi in December and they said- ‘well DRC, we're not bought into it yet’. Clearly they are now. And the US getting involved as well, it's all positive actually for DRC critical minerals."

This regional validation provides important context for Rome Resources' valuation and strategic positioning, with Barrett noting: 

"Clearly we are behind them [Alphamin] because they're producing, but it's hopefully going to be a very similar story following through."

Financial Position & Market Outlook

Rome Resources secured strategic investment in December 2024, providing financial backing for the current drilling program. The company's systematic approach to resource definition and development reflects a measured strategy designed to maximize shareholder value while managing exploration risk.

The timing of the discovery aligns with increased global focus on critical minerals supply chains, particularly tin, which is essential for electronics manufacturing and renewable energy infrastructure. Barrett emphasized the incremental approach: 

"At the moment we're pushing it, we found some more, we'll push it a bit further, we'll see what happens. So it's a little bit incremental the way we're doing it."

With assay results expected before July 31, 2025, investors will soon have quantitative data to assess the commercial significance of the new discovery. The combination of expanded resource potential, systematic exploration approach, and favorable regional dynamics positions Rome Resources as a compelling story in the critical minerals sector.

The Investment Thesis for Rome Resources

• Expanded Resource Potential: New tin discovery at MADD030 extends mineralization beyond known footprint, potentially opening entire eastern flank of Mont Agoma for exploration, significantly increasing resource upside
• Multi-Metal System: Proven tin, copper, and zinc mineralization provides diversified commodity exposure with strong demand fundamentals across electronics, renewable energy, and infrastructure sectors
• Strategic Timing: Maiden resource estimate due June 2025 with updated numbers September 2025, providing near-term catalysts for re-rating as company transitions from explorer to resource-defined developer
• Regional Validation: Alphamin acquisition by Abu Dhabi's IRH validates DRC tin province attractiveness, providing comparable valuation benchmarks and strategic investor interest confirmation
• Operational Momentum: Three active drilling rigs with systematic exploration program, metallurgical studies commencing, and improving security conditions creating multiple value creation pathways
• Critical Minerals Exposure: Tin is essential for electronics and renewable energy infrastructure, benefiting from global supply chain security focus and limited new supply development
• Experienced Management: Proven team with DRC operating experience and strategic investor backing, positioned to capitalize on discovery and development opportunities

Macro Thematic Analysis

The global transition toward renewable energy and digital infrastructure has created unprecedented demand for critical minerals, particularly tin, which is essential for electronics manufacturing and solar panel production. Traditional tin supply chains face significant challenges, with Indonesia controlling approximately 30% of global production while facing potential export restrictions, and Myanmar's production disrupted by political instability.

Rome Resources' discovery in the DRC positions the company within a strategically important jurisdiction for Western supply chain diversification. The recent validation through Alphamin's acquisition by Abu Dhabi's IRH demonstrates increasing sovereign and strategic investor interest in securing critical mineral assets outside traditional supply chains. 

The DRC's potential to become a major tin province aligns with Western governments' critical minerals strategies, creating favorable conditions for development financing and off-take agreements. This macro trend, combined with tin's essential role in emerging technologies, suggests sustained demand growth and potential supply premiums for secure, Western-aligned production sources.