Thursday, 27 March 2008

Japan's JOGMEC to explore copper, zinc in Cambodia

TOKYO, March 27 (Reuters) - State-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp said on Thursday it will spend $4.5 million over a three-year period to jointly explore metals, including zinc and copper, in eastern Cambodia with an Australian miner.

JOGMEC has started exploration in the areas of North Kratie North and Kratie South, located 200 kilometres northeast of the kingdom's capital, Phnom Penh, with Southern Gold Ltd (The state-run oil and metals agency has the right to earn a 51 percent stake in the project. This will be its first metals exploration project in Cambodia.

The agency statement said there are no mines and no major investigation has been conducted in both areas.

Besides copper and zinc, elements of gold, lead and antimony have been found in the areas according to the research conducted by Southern Gold, it added.

(Reporting by Chikafumi Hodo)

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