Drill Results Routine +

NorthWest Reports Palladium Assay Results at Kwanika, Highlighting Potential for a By-Product Credit

Northwest Copper adds palladium to Kwanika ahead of a mid-2026 PEA and a 12,000-metre drill program.

By The Northwire Desk — AI Analysis Jun 10, 2026 · 06:00 NWST · 0.31 Northwest Copper Corp.

Executive Summary

NorthWest Copper reports palladium assay results from stored historical drill core pulps at its 100% owned Kwanika project in British Columbia.
The program successfully assayed 3,653 stored sample pulps from 66 historical holes, identifying potential payable Pd by-product credits in Zones 2, 5, and 10.
Highlighted intersections demonstrate significant Cu-Au-Ag-Pd mineralization, with notable intervals including 74.1m @ 1.04% Cu, 1.48g/t Au, 3.32g/t Ag, 0.71g/t Pd and 13.7m @ 1.45% Cu, 1.88g/t Au, 3.74g/t Ag, 1.05g/t Pd.
Samples were stored since the 2007 drill program, with systematic Pd assaying only commencing in 2022.
Results will directly inform a future palladium mineral resource estimate scheduled for early 2027.
The company notes that Pd mineralization serves as an exploration vector toward the hottest, most saline parts of the system and shares geological characteristics with the producing New Afton copper-gold mine in BC.
Metallurgical recovery test work for Pd is currently incomplete, presenting opportunities for future process optimization.

Material Impact

The release is a follow-up to the company's ongoing resource upgrade and metallurgical evaluation program. It does not represent new drilling but rather the systematic re-assay of historical core, which management had already flagged as part of the broader exploration strategy.
The identification of Pd credits adds a potential by-product revenue stream to the Kwanika model, complementing the existing copper and gold focus. However, the Pd resource estimate is not expected until early 2027, meaning it will not impact the mid-2026 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) that is currently underway.
The news is incremental and expected within the context of the company's stated goal to expand the resource base and evaluate all critical minerals. It validates the geological model but does not materially alter the near-term development timeline or capital requirements.
Given the company recently closed a $13.8M financing to fund a 12,000-metre drill program starting mid-June 2026, this Pd update is a routine positive step that keeps the project on track toward its next major catalyst: the updated PEA.

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Company Overview

NorthWest Copper Corp. is a development-stage mining company focused on its flagship Kwanika-Stardust project in British Columbia.
The company's strategy centers on capital-efficient development, targeting a higher-grade starter pit and a top-down sub-level cave underground mining method.
The Kwanika Central deposit hosts a combined indicated + inferred resource of 45.19 Mt containing 534 Mlb Cu, 972 koz Au, and 2,428 koz Ag.
Additional assets include the Lorraine project (13.0 Mt indicated Cu resource), the Stardust satellite deposit, and early-stage exploration targets in the Omineca region.
The company is actively pursuing metallurgical improvements, including fine grinding, flotation optimization, and XRT ore sorting, which have already demonstrated ~19% grade uplift and ~90% metal recoveries in test work.

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