Angkor Resources Corp. announced on September 30, 2026, that its wholly owned Cambodian energy subsidiary, EnerCam Resources Co., Ltd., has received final approval from Cambodia's Ministry of Environment to drill exploratory wells on the Kirirom, Bokor North, Bokor Central, and Bokor South sub-basins of the Block VIII onshore oil and gas concession in southwest Cambodia. The approval follows an inter-ministerial review of the Environmental Impact Assessment and drilling permit held on July 14, 2026, in Phnom Penh, which was attended by more than 26 representatives from five government ministries and three provinces.
With the environmental approval in hand, EnerCam is now advancing to the Ministry of Mines and Energy with applications covering specific components of the drilling program, including downhole logging and well operations. The company has also been conducting due diligence on several potential drilling contractors ahead of a tender. The 70+ page tender document must be reviewed and approved by the MME before it is published. Once a drilling contractor is engaged, mobilizing the drilling equipment to the sites is expected to take approximately three months.
The approval covers all four sub-basins that host EnerCam's defined drill targets, which are located across Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, and Kampong Speu provinces. The company's 4+1 drill program contemplates one exploration well in each of the four sub-basins, followed by a fifth well located based on the results of those wells under a Production Sharing Contract. EnerCam has completed 350 line-kilometers of 2D seismic and has identified multiple drill targets with multiple target zones.
Mike Weeks, President of EnerCam, commented, "With approval now in hand on all four sub-basins, we move to the Ministry of Mines and Energy on the individual components of the drilling program, and that includes the well logging and the downhole tools. The Ministry of Environment went through this in detail with us - how each site is drilled, how the water and drilling fluid are handled, and how the land is restored if a well is not productive. It has been a thorough process with the Ministries and with the communities where we will be working, and it sets a precedent for how onshore drilling gets done in Cambodia as the sector develops."
Block VIII covers approximately 4,095 square kilometers in the southwest quadrant of Cambodia under a 30-year Production Sharing Contract with the Royal Government of Cambodia. As Cambodia imports 100% of its hydrocarbon-based energy products, discovering a national domestic supply of oil and gas remains a high priority for the Kingdom. EnerCam's program would be the first privately financed onshore drilling for oil and gas in Cambodia, and a discovery would begin to offset what the Kingdom currently spends importing hydrocarbon energy.
This development represents a significant step for Angkor Resources and for Cambodia's energy sector. If successful, the project could reduce Cambodia's reliance on imported hydrocarbons, potentially lowering energy costs and improving energy security. For Angkor Resources, a discovery could transform the company's financial outlook, while the precedent set for onshore drilling could attract further investment in Cambodia's nascent oil and gas industry. The company will continue providing updates on the drill program, drilling contractors, and well-planning progress at regular intervals.
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