This latest stage of a prospecting project that has being going on for three years is part of a contract that allows Bolt Resources to drill for gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, tin, tungsten, antimony and any other metals it might come across between 3 and 5.6 kilometres in depth.
Alcoutim Mayor, Osvaldo Gonçalves, said "We have been informed that these are five drillings to be carried out in parishes in Alcoutim, namely along the Foupana river and in the Palmeira area."
The Alcoutim concession area awarded to Bolt Resources, majority owned by Auroch Minerals, is an enormous 576 square kilometers stretching over the municipal borders into Castro Marim, and Mértola in the Alentejo.
The mayor, torn between employement and environmental concerns, said that if the company goes ahead with the exploration, this may represent "an interesting added value in terms of employment and wealth," for Alcoutim council, “provided that environmental issues are respected.”
In addition to this 2014 project, the Turkish company, Ozdogu, has applied to search for precious metals in an area covering Alcoutim and Loulé. This application currently is in the public consultation phase.