When a small cap drill ready mining stock starts making announcements about drill programs about to begin, investor ears should perk up immediately. Drill programs should never be taken lightly as they are always complex and expensive endeavors that would not otherwise be done IFa mining company did not have reason to believe there is a good chance of finding something of value. Azincourt Energy Corp (TSX-V: AAZ; OTCMKTS: AZURF) is a small capCanadian clean energy mining stock that we began following back in the spring as a promising drill ready play on macro trends towards cleaner and greener energy. And sure enough, the Company is moving forward with summer drilling ready to begin on multiple project properties. Investment Snapshot Azincourt Energy Corp is focused on building a value-based portfolio of lithium, uranium, cobalt and other critical clean energy elements with core projects located in mining friendly Canada. These projects include two uranium exploration projects in the prolific Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan and a multi-property lithium project in Manitoba. Azincourt Energy Corp’s Patterson Lake North (PLN) project is preparing a summer drill program with three separate target areas that are drill-ready. The recently expanded Lithium Two Project has seen the completion of the first phase of the 2018 surface field exploration with a summer drill program anticipated to commence shortly. All of this work will contribute significantly to the goal of producing a 43-101 technical report by the first quarter 2019. Patterson Lake North (PLN) Project Update: Drill Ready The first update concerns Azincourt Energy Corp’s Patterson Lake North (PLN) projectwhich is located in the southwest area of Saskatchewan’s Athabasca basin, immediately adjacent and to the north of Fission Uranium’s PLS (Patterson Lake South) project (which hosts the high-grade Triple R uranium deposit). The PLN package consists of a total of 36,537 hectares with Azincourt Energy Corp holding a 10% interest in 27,408 hectares of the PLN property. JV partner Fission 3.0 Corp. (TSX.V: FUU) is preparing a summer drill program for the PLN property that will include multiple holes focused on high-priority targets within a 700-metre mineralized corridor identified during the previous drill program.That means later this year, investors can expect to hear about the results of this summer drill program. Note that previous results have already encountered significant mineralization and pathfinder elements showing large-scale potential. In fact and prior to Azincourt Energy Corp’s involvement, Fission spent ~$4.7M on exploration on PLN ranging from airborne to ground geophysics to a first-pass drilling of a few select targets. There are actually three separate target areas that are drill-ready. As for the uranium market, the recent bear market for the commodity has led to a growing supply deficit as nobody has invested in bringing new uranium mines into production. With growing demand for cleaner electricity in both developed and especially emerging markets like China, uranium demand and prices have long been expected to start rising again. Manitoba Cat LakeLithium Acquisition and Drill Work Program Azincourt Energy Corpis also making progress on its Manitoba lithium projects: Earlier in June, Azincourt Energy Corp announced in conjunction with JV partner New Age Metals (TSX.V: NAM), the acquisition of the Cat Lake Lithium Project. The new Cat Lake Lithium Project consists of nine claims for a total of an approximately 2000 hectares located directly north of the existing Lithium Two Project. The New Age Metals/Azincourt Energy Joint Venture is now the largest claim holder for lithium projects in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field which is also host to the world-class Tanco Pegmatite - a highly fractionated Lithium-Cesium-Tantalum (LCT Type) pegmatite and has been mined in varying capacities since 1969. The overall 2018 field program at the Lithium Two Project has consisted of prospecting, mapping and sampling, which will aid in targeting drill locations for the upcoming summer program. As of mid-June, field crews had nearly completed the first phase of the 2018 surface field exploration and assays will be sent out for analysis after the completion of field work on the project. Surface exploration will continue onto other lithium projects in the joint venture with the summer drill program anticipated to commence shortly. This work will contribute significantly to the goal of producing a 43-101 technical report by the first quarter 2019 with updates expected in the months ahead. In May, the New Age Metals/Azincourt Energy Joint Venture had also announced the acquisition of the Lithman West Extension Project. This 2725-hectare land package is located 9.5 kilometers west of the world class Tanco Mine Site and connects to the Company’s current Lithman West project on both the western and southern boundaries. Work permits for the Lithman West Expansion have been applied for with the province of Manitoba for surface exploration. Once the permits are granted, exploration will consist of prospecting and sampling the known surface pegmatites and their surrounding areas with the objective to identify and confirm new drill targets. In the May press release, president & CEO Alex Klenman was quoted as saying: “This is another key addition for us as we build our portfolio in Manitoba. This is highly prospective ground with known lithium-bearing pegmatites and tremendous exploration upside. We are entering a very busy time here over the next few months with detailed mapping, sampling and drilling all taking place. We are anxious to build our story and deliver results.” As for the lithium market itself, the latest market research coming from UK based international metals and minerals research firm Roskill predicts demand from companies that produce batteries to power electric cars, laptops and other high-tech devices, expected to increase 650% by 2027. Overall lithium demand is expected to rise more than threefold over that same period. Lithium prices are expected to peak in 2018 as greater supply availability of mined and refined lithium will enter the market in coming years which will also cause prices to briefly fall back in 2019with a floor of $11,000/t battery grade lithium carbonate. Beyond 2021, Roskillexpects lithium prices to rise above 2018 levels again. In other words, Azincourt Energy Corp is well positioned to take advantage of rising demand in both uranium and lithium with the Company actively seeking to increase its project portfolio to include materials the world needs to power the future. As Azincourt Energy Corp’s summer drill programs come under way, the SmallCap Network will continue to monitor the Company in anticipation of results being announced later this year.