Q2 Metals (TSX-V:QTWO) has launched its 2026 summer drill program at the Cisco Lithium Project in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region in Québec, Canada, with two diamond core drill rigs initially deployed.
Two more drill rigs will commence drilling imminently, with the company noting it will assess the need for additional drill rigs throughout the program.
Around 20,000m of infill and exploratory drilling is planned, with a focus on infill drilling at the Cisco Deposit with the aim of converting and advancing the mineral resource from inferred to indicated.
Q2 says it has already identified potential zones of ‘high-grade’ and/or near-surface mineralisation, which will be the priority targets for drill testing in addition to expansion drilling proximate to the deposit.
In April 2026, Q2 announced an inferred mineral resource estimate (MRE) for Cisco, as previously reported, outlining a pit-constrained resource of 270 million tonnes grading 1.36% lithium oxide at a 0.4% lithium oxide cut-off grade. The MRE also outlined an underground-constrained inferred resource of 24 million tonnes grading 1.34% lithium oxide at a 0.7% lithium oxide cut-off.
President and CEO Alicia Milne says with drilling, the company is focused on advancing through the next stages of development.
“With the completion of our inferred MRE in April, we have established a globally significant lithium deposit and are now turning our attention to the next major milestone, our initial Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA),” Milne says.
“This study will provide the first comprehensive evaluation of Cisco’s development potential and economics, representing another important step toward unlocking the project’s long-term value.”
VP of Exploration Neil McCallum also notes the upcoming busy period for the company.
“Our primary focus is infill drilling designed to upgrade the mineral resource from the inferred to the indicated category — an important step in supporting future engineering and economic studies,” McCallum says.
“In parallel, baseline environmental work commenced in May, and Phase 2 of our metallurgical program is now underway. This work is designed to confirm the positive results from Phase 1 while evaluating recovery variability across different pegmatite textures, assessing the impact of wall-rock dilution on lithium recovery and iron content, and completing flotation trade-off studies to optimise recoveries under a range of process flowsheets.”
As Q2 prepares for a PEA, it is conducting extensive regional greenfields exploration, with indicator mineral till sampling and geochemical soil sampling, expanded prospecting, and mapping underway.
The PEA is expected in H2 2026 and will provide an initial assessment of the project’s economic potential and financial viability.
Q2 Metals is focused on advancing the Cisco Lithium Project in the James Bay region of Québec, Canada.
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Images: Q2 Metals
