NexGen Energy Grows PCE High-Grade Subdomain 23% And Launches 45,500 m Drill Campaign
NexGen Energy expanded its Patterson Corridor East high-grade uranium subdomain by 23% to 412 m vertical extent and enlarged the mineralized footprint to 700 m vertical and 620 m strike length. It has commenced a 45,500 m 2026 drilling program—42,000 m at PCE and 3,500 m at SW3—following a record 0.5 m intercept at 74.8% U3O8.
1. Expansion of High-Grade Subdomain at Patterson Corridor East
NexGen Energy has reported a 23% increase in the vertical extent of its primary high-grade subdomain at the Patterson Corridor East (PCE) discovery, growing from 335 metres to 412 metres with a strike length of 210 metres. In addition, the overall mineralized footprint has been expanded to 700 metres vertical extent (up from 600 metres) and 620 metres strike length (up from 600 metres). Notably, hole RK-25-257 intersected off-scale scintillometer readings (>61,000 cps) at approximately 850 metres below surface, indicating the emergence of a second high-grade subdomain and significant potential for further depth expansion. Final assays from hole RK-25-271 confirmed 5.8 metres of cumulative high-grade mineralization (>10,000 cps) and 0.8 metres of off-scale readings, reinforcing continuity in the lower half of the principal subdomain and highlighting a down-dip extension of 65 metres from previously reported high-grade intercepts.
2. Completion of 2025 Drilling and Historical Context
The 2025 PCE drilling campaign concluded with a total of 35,366.2 metres drilled in 102 holes, marking the largest program in the Athabasca Basin during the year. Of those 102 holes, 67 intersected mineralization, including 45 holes with high-grade (>10,000 cps) and 17 with off-scale readings. Since the initial discovery in March 2024, NexGen has completed 69,042.2 metres of drilling across 102 holes, with 102 drillholes advancing both footprint expansion and multiple high-grade subdomain definitions. The step-out testing strategy has provided critical geological data, ensuring the overall mineralized envelope remains open along both strike and dip directions.
3. Launch of 2026 Exploration Program Totalling 45,500 Metres
NexGen’s 2026 exploration program has commenced with a planned 42,000 metres of diamond drilling at PCE—the largest single campaign to date on the discovery—to focus on both high-grade growth and further expansion of the mineralized footprint. In parallel, the company will conduct an inaugural 3,500-metre program at its 100%-owned SW3 property, targeting regional greenfields anomalies identified by geophysical surveys. At PCE, at least eight 200-metre spaced step-out holes are slated to test for repetitions of basement-hosted mineralization approximately 600 metres southeast of the current discovery, while SW3 drilling will evaluate three priority targets under gravity lows.
4. Implications for Investors and Project Timeline
The sustained expansion of high-grade domains at PCE and the ramp-up of a record drilling program underscore NexGen’s ability to delineate a multi-generational uranium resource in the southwest Athabasca Basin. Investors should note that the 2026 program is designed to maintain dual objectives: extending the known high-grade zones and defining new mineralized corridors within the same hydrothermal system. Results from both PCE and SW3 are expected to inform an updated resource estimate and guide prefeasibility planning for the Rook I Project, which remains on track for federal permitting and construction advancement in the latter half of the decade.