"Any new mineral resources potentially allows the mining of areas with copper grades substantially higher than the average of the total mineral resource," Sampson said.

"As we progress to the commencement of mining, there is significant value in having access to low strip ratio high-grade feed for the concentrator in the early years of the operation."

The Petra Prospect is currently the smallest deposit at the Boseto Copper Project. It has an Inferred Mineral Resource of 4.5 Mt @ 1.1 percent Cu at a cut-off grade of 0.6 percent Cu.

This mineral resource estimate is based on a Petra strike length of approximately 1.4 kilometres.The Boseto Copper Project is located within a belt of significant copper silver mineralisation that extends from the well known and more highly developed Zambian Copperbelt across north-west Botswana and into Namibia.

The poorly explored and undeveloped portion of this belt in northwestern Botswana is known as the Kalahari Copperbelt. Last week, Discovery said it was confident it could raise enough cash to develop its copper and silver project and could possibly part with its nickel project to finance capital costs.

Discovery's other area of focus is its nickel asset in Botswana. "We have hardly spent any money on the Dikoloti Nickel Project in the past 12 months," Sampson said. "Our focus is on financing and bringing our copper asset into production."

The company is currently re-evaluating Dikoloti and is considering selling it to raise the capital required for Boseto. "It's a possibility, but nothing has been decided yet," Sampson said.

Discovery expects to start copper production in the middle of 2011. "We would anticipate that the Boseto copper project enters into production at a time when copper prices firm and demand picks up," a recent Fairfax report said.Australia-based Discovery is aspiring to create Botswana's largest copper mine and is set to complete its bankable feasibility study at its Boseto copper project at the end of this year.

Discovery will have to raise US$140m (P1.05 billion) by the first quarter of 2010 to be able to finance construction. "We expect to raise US$75(P562 million) in equity and the rest in debt," Sampson told Miningmx.

The company is listed on AIM, as well as on the Australian and Botswana stock exchanges.

As at 31 December 2008, Discovery had A$6.2m(P32 million) on its balance sheet and has subsequently raised a further A$2.3m(P11.5 million). Edison Investment Research estimates the company to have a cash burn of about A$0.6m per month.

Discovery secured the Boseto copper prospect in 2005, having previously focused on exploration in Australia and a nickel prospect in Botswana.

The company has a proven resources of 45.6 million tonnes of copper and an inferred nickel resource of 4.1 million tonnes.The company expects to produce 23,500 tonnes of copper per annum and 780,000oz silver per annum from 2011. It has 14 prospecting licences on the Kalahari Copperbelt.