Angkor Resources Corp. has launched a collaborative program between its energy subsidiary, EnerCam Resources Cambodia Co. Ltd., and graduate students at the Cambodian Institute of Technology. The initiative provides hands-on geological and geophysical training tied directly to EnerCam's Block VIII oil and gas exploration program in Cambodia, representing a significant investment in developing local technical expertise.
The program brings together Angkor's technical team and ITC students in field-based geological work and analytical seismic interpretation. Justin Snelling and Dr. David Johnson are leading students through geological field work, including structural and stratigraphic characterization of selected outcrop sites, rock sampling and laboratory analysis. In tandem, Keith Edwards, Geophysicist for EnerCam, is guiding students through geophysical software training and practical seismic interpretation in a real-world environment.
Dr. Johnson identified three fundamental objectives for the field program, each tied to advancing the Company's understanding of Block VIII geology ahead of exploratory drilling. First, students will collect structural geological data at surface that will be directly useful when interpreting subsurface structural data acquired during drilling. EnerCam's seismic interpretation has identified large anticline structures in the Bokor subbasins, with four-way closures covering tens of square kilometres seismically mapped across South Bokor, Central Bokor, and North Bokor.
Second, students will examine reservoir rocks present at surface to characterize their properties, including porosity and permeability. Surface analogs provide an important window into what the Company can expect at the depths being targeted for drilling. With exploratory wells on Block VIII potentially exceeding 3,000 metres in the Bokor subbasins, and shallower targets in the Kirirom subbasin where reservoir porosity may be higher due to less compaction, understanding rock properties at surface helps calibrate expectations for subsurface reservoir quality.
Third, Dr. Johnson noted the distinct value of involving students in both geologic and seismic interpretation. "There is real value in having fresh eyes on the data," said Dr. Johnson. "Experienced interpreters can sometimes carry expectations that may obscure nuances. Students bring a learning perspective that can pick up on subtleties others might overlook."
Keith Edwards is leading a parallel program in seismic interpretation and geophysical analysis, establishing Seisware software licenses and preparing a structured training curriculum for ITC students who will work directly with EnerCam's 350-line kilometre 2D seismic dataset acquired over Block VIII in 2025. Edwards noted that the seismic program covered four subbasins - South, Central, and North Bokor on the west side of Block VIII, and the Kirirom subbasin in the northeast corner of the 4,095 square kilometre license area.
The student program advances alongside EnerCam's broader exploration efforts on Block VIII. The Company's seismic interpretation has identified four drill targets across the license area, with the Bokor subbasin structures bearing a striking resemblance to traps of the Khorat Basin in Thailand, where the Nam Phong and Sinphuhorn fields produced significant amounts of gas over the past 20 years. The next step is completing an Environmental Impact Assessment on areas targeted for drilling, with the Company planning to follow with drilling Cambodia's first onshore oil and gas exploratory wells.
David Johnson commented, "We want to help develop geological and geophysical expertise that will help Cambodia find its own resources. These students represent the future of earth sciences in this country, and we are proud to bring them along on that journey." Angkor has reached several thousand students through its community training sessions to date, and the ITC program extends the Company's educational commitment into university-level and post graduate technical training.
This initiative matters because it represents a dual investment: advancing Cambodia's first onshore oil and gas exploration while simultaneously building the technical workforce needed to develop and manage the country's natural resources long-term. The program's timing is particularly significant as EnerCam prepares for exploratory drilling that could establish Cambodia as an oil and gas producing nation. By integrating graduate students into active exploration work, Angkor Resources is creating a model for how international companies can contribute to sustainable development of local expertise in emerging resource economies.
