Angkor Resources Corp. (TSXV: ANK OTCQB: ANKOF) announced that Cambodia's Ministry of Environment has granted final approval for its wholly owned subsidiary, EnerCam Resources Co., Ltd., to drill exploratory wells on four sub-basins of the Block VIII onshore oil and gas concession in southwest Cambodia. The approval covers the Kirirom, Bokor North, Bokor Central, and Bokor South sub-basins, marking a significant milestone in Cambodia's efforts to develop domestic energy resources.
The approval follows an inter-ministerial review of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and drilling program held on July 14, 2026, in Phnom Penh, attended by more than 26 representatives from five government ministries and three provinces. With the EIA approved, EnerCam now advances to the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) with applications covering specific drilling components such as downhole logging and well operations.
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."
The environmental clearance is crucial because it allows EnerCam to proceed with its 4+1 drill program, which 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. The company has completed 350 line-kilometers of 2D seismic and defined drill targets across the sub-basins, which are located across Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, and Kampong Speu provinces.
Cambodia imports 100% of its hydrocarbon-based energy products, making the discovery of a national domestic supply of oil and gas 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 approval therefore represents a potential turning point for Cambodia's energy independence and economic development.
EnerCam has been completing due diligence on several potential drilling contractors ahead of the tender. The 70+ page tender document is reviewed and approved by MME before it is published in various media outlets. Once a drilling contractor is engaged, mobilizing the drilling equipment to the sites takes approximately three months. For a detailed outline of Block VIII with the four identified sub-basins representing five planned drill targets, see Figure 1.
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. Angkor Resources, through its mineral subsidiary Angkor Gold Corp. Co., Ltd., also holds two mineral exploration licenses in Cambodia with multiple prospects in copper and gold. The company continues to work with the MME on the drilling contractor tender and will provide further updates on the drill program, drilling contractors, and well-planning progress at regular intervals. For more information, visit angkorresources.com. The original release is available on www.newmediawire.com.
