The US government is working to help American miners and battery makers expand into Canada, part of a strategy to boost regional production of minerals used to make electric vehicles and counter Chinese dominance.

The holes were drilled as part of a 30,000-metre program and are expected to “positively impact” existing resources by growing the indicated inventory.

Resource estimates have been released for the Spout and G1 carbonate replacement deposits.

State-owned company will suspend copper mining for two weeks from Friday because of a steep rise in coronavirus infections in the South Pacific nation.

No. 1 is a deep sea polymetallic project with a 75,000 square kilometre exploration tenement.

The three countries feature a rich mining history and prospective geology.