NorthWest Copper Corp. has released impressive new drilling results from its 2025 exploration program at the fully owned Kwanika project in British Columbia, revealing significant copper and gold mineralization that exceeds company expectations.
Exceptional Drill Results Uncovered
The company reported that drill hole K-25-281 delivered outstanding results, including 26 metres grading 0.72% copper and 1.30 grams per tonne gold, equivalent to 1.91% copper equivalent. This high-grade intercept was encountered beginning at 268 metres depth, confirming the presence of substantial mineralization within the Kwanika Central Zone.
Both drill holes completed in the program demonstrated broad intervals of near-surface copper-gold mineralization, significantly strengthening the company's confidence in the project's initial open pit development potential. The results align with NorthWest Copper's strategic focus on identifying and expanding higher-grade zones within the existing mineral resource.
Strategic Objectives Achieved
The 2025 drilling campaign successfully met several key objectives that advance the Kwanika project's development timeline. Drill hole K-25-281 extended the upper Central Zone by 30 metres to the northeast, revealing an area substantially wider than initially projected. Importantly, the Central Zone remains open for further expansion to the northeast.
The program also confirmed the presence of higher-grade mineralization in the lower Central Zone across substantial thicknesses, improved understanding of potential connections between the Central Zone and Pit Zone, and enhanced confidence in the continuity of near-surface mineralization over significant widths.
Paul Olmsted, CEO of NorthWest Copper, emphasized the strategic shift in the company's approach: "In 2025, the Company changed its strategy to prioritize higher-grade zones within the existing mineralization at Kwanika. Results from the first seven holes of the 2025 exploration program have largely met or exceeded expectations."
Detailed Drill Hole Results
The company provided comprehensive results from both drill holes, highlighting multiple mineralized zones:
K-25-281 Results:
Pit Zone intercepts included 38 metres of 0.48% copper and 0.12 g/t gold (0.61% CuEq) from 44 metres depth, followed by 26 metres of 0.51% copper and 0.36 g/t gold (0.85% CuEq) from 150 metres.
Central Zone results were even more impressive, with 40 metres of 0.63% copper and 0.95 g/t gold (1.50% CuEq) from 254 metres, including the standout intercept of 26 metres of 0.72% copper and 1.30 g/t gold (1.91% CuEq) from 268 metres.
K-25-282 Results:
This hole delivered exceptional near-surface mineralization with 75.7 metres of 0.93% copper and 0.30 g/t gold (1.23% CuEq) from just 22.3 metres depth. This included a higher-grade portion of 43.7 metres grading 1.26% copper and 0.41 g/t gold (1.66% CuEq) from the same starting depth.
Future Development Implications
These results support NorthWest Copper's strategy of focusing on high-grade domains within the existing mineral resource to enhance the economics of a future Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA). The consistent near-surface mineralization encountered in the Pit Zone reinforces the opportunity for a high-grade starter pit, which could provide a strong foundation for improved project economics.
The company is advancing metallurgical test work rapidly, with initial results expected before year-end. This critical information will support an updated mineral resource estimate and evaluation of alternative top-down underground mining methods.
NorthWest Copper's clear objective is to deliver a more capital-efficient and economically robust open pit and underground development plan in an updated PEA compared to the 2023 assessment. The latest drilling results provide strong technical validation for this approach and demonstrate the significant potential for grade improvement through targeted exploration within known mineralized zones.
The Kwanika project continues to demonstrate its potential as a significant copper-gold asset in British Columbia's prolific mining region, with these latest results highlighting the opportunity for both near-surface open pit development and deeper high-grade underground mining scenarios.
