NorthWest Copper Corp. has announced highly successful results from its comprehensive 2025 metallurgical program at the Kwanika project, marking a substantial advancement in precious metal recovery capabilities. The company reports that refined processing techniques have yielded remarkable improvements, with gold recoveries now ranging between 94.6% and 96.3%, while silver recoveries have reached approximately 96.3%.
Significant Recovery Improvements Demonstrated
The recent metallurgical testing focused on higher-grade zones within the Kwanika project, building upon positive drilling results from 2025. The program demonstrated material enhancements in metal recoveries, showing a 34% improvement for gold and a 37% improvement for silver compared to previous benchmarks. These impressive results will be incorporated into an updated mineral resource estimate scheduled for the first quarter, followed by a new Preliminary Economic Assessment targeted for mid-2026.
Processing Advancements Drive Performance
The positive outcomes confirm that a refined flow sheet incorporating leaching technology can deliver substantially improved precious metal recoveries when compared to the higher-grade material used in the 2023 Preliminary Economic Assessment. While maintaining strong copper recovery rates ranging from 88.9% to 90.2%, the company has achieved breakthrough performance in gold and silver extraction through optimized processing methods.
Compared to higher-grade zones tested in the 2023 assessment, flotation recoveries show similar results for copper but demonstrate significant improvements of 7% for gold and 14% for silver. When combined with flotation tails leaching, the overall recoveries increase materially by 34% for gold and 37% for silver, highlighting the potential to meaningfully enhance overall project performance and economic viability.
Leadership Perspective on Results
Paul Olmsted, CEO of NorthWest Copper, expressed strong satisfaction with the metallurgical test outcomes. "We are extremely pleased with the results from the metallurgical test work, which demonstrate the opportunity to materially improve recoveries at Kwanika," stated Olmsted. "In early 2025, we refined our strategy at Kwanika to prioritize higher-grade zones within the existing mineral resource and executed exploration and metallurgical programs to test potential benefits."
Olmsted further noted that drill results from the 2025 program have consistently demonstrated higher grades over significant widths. When combined with these recovery results, the work exceeded company expectations and aligns with the objective of supporting a more economically compelling open pit and underground development plan than that presented in the 2023 Preliminary Economic Assessment.
Technical Highlights and Concentrate Quality
The metallurgical program successfully demonstrated that conventional processing methods, including ball mill grinding, flotation, and tails leaching, can be utilized to materially improve overall metal recoveries. Test work produced attractive concentrate grades ranging from 22.7% to 26.2% copper containing gold at 37.9-42.6 grams per tonne, silver at 71.6 grams per tonne, and palladium at 1.1 grams per tonne.
Geoff Chinn, Vice President of Business Development and Exploration, added important context regarding the technical approach. "This year's metallurgical program focused on higher-grade underground mineralized zones and successfully demonstrated improved gold and silver recoveries using conventional flotation and leach processing," explained Chinn. "These improvements were achieved through finer grinding than previously tested and by modifying the flowsheet to address the mineralization more appropriately."
Strategic Implications and Future Planning
The metallurgical program was expanded to include additional variability testing, reflecting an improved understanding of metal zonation from copper-dominant to gold-dominant zones within the mineralization, as informed by the 2025 drill program. These results support the company's objective of evaluating a more selective bulk underground mining method at Kwanika and will also inform the planned drilling program for 2026.
Importantly, test work reported in the 2023 Preliminary Economic Assessment indicated that concentrates were not anticipated to incur smelter penalties, suggesting favorable processing economics. The company now looks forward to reflecting these successful outcomes in an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment, targeted for completion in mid-2026, which will incorporate both the enhanced recovery rates and the higher-grade material identified through recent exploration efforts.
