The result brings the possibility of increasing the tonnage potential within Rukwa’s northern block which could advance a project resource upgrade expected in the first quarter of 2013.

The London-based company, which also develops uranium deposits in the east African country, has confirmed a maiden inferred coal resource of 39 million tonnes at Rukwa’s Mkomolo Basin.

Although the area was last explored for coal in the 1950s, Edenville chairman Simon Rollason said the recent drill results indicated the area’s “highly prospective nature”.

“This hole has returned significant results in an area where historically no coal had been identified,” he said.

“This will further assist the company in achieving its previously stated objective of increasing the confidence to the quantity and quality of Edenville’s existing resource at the Mkomolo coal project, while allowing for the preparation of an upgrade resource estimate in Q1 2013 once all laboratory results have been received.”

Exploration of Rukwa’s Mkomolo deposit has been Edenville’s major focus over the past year as a program begun in July 2012 completed 22 diamond drillholes over 6500m of lateral strike distance and 230m of depth.

The latest two boreholes in the northern margin of the tenement will be followed by three additional holes aimed toward northward expansion of the project once access has been prepared.