Emperor Metals begins drilling at Duquesne West

Executive Summary

• Emperor Metals Inc. has commenced a 10,000- to 15,000-metre diamond drilling program at its Duquesne West gold project in Quebec for the 2025-2026 winter season.
• The program aims to expand the open-pit footprint, convert inferred resources to indicated categories, and extend the mineralized footprint eastward toward the Nip zone, leveraging AI-driven targeting models.
• Initial assay results are anticipated between mid- to late January 2026, with the program scheduled to continue through early spring 2026.

Key Details

• Drilling Program Scope: 10,000 to 15,000 metres of diamond drilling planned for the 2025-2026 winter season.
• Financial Position: The company cites approximately $11.1 million in working capital (as of Oct. 17, 2025) to fund the exploration program.
• Strategic Objectives:
  • Expand the conceptual open-pit footprint by targeting high-grade gold lenses within the host rock.
  • Increase the thickness of high-grade lenses by incorporating previously unaccounted lower-grade gold from margins.
  • Extend the lateral footprint of mineralized zones along strike and dip.
  • Discover new zones, specifically focusing on eastward expansion toward the Nip zone.
  • Validate historical zones to bring inferred material into measured and indicated categories.
• Technical Approach: Utilization of advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning models to reinterpret the geological model, identify unknown gold trends, and refine economic limits of the conceptual open-pit environment.
• Recent Performance Context: The 2024 program led to a new initial resource estimate (released July 9, 2025) that more than doubled historical figures, evaluating both open-pit and underground mining scenarios.
• Current Status: The company is currently drilling hole DQ25-01, which is planned to reach a depth of 550 metres and is encountering replacement-style mineralization.
• Timeline:
  • Program start: 2025-2026 winter season.
  • Initial assay results: Mid- to late January 2026.
  • Program end: Early spring 2026.
• Project Location: Duquesne West gold property, located 32 km northwest of Rouyn-Noranda and 10 km east of Duparquet, Quebec, within the historic Duparquet gold mining camp.
• Property Interest: Emperor holds a 100% interest via an option agreement from Duparquet Assets Ltd. (a subsidiary of Globex Mining Enterprises Inc.), covering 38 claims and approximately 1,389 hectares.

Notable Quotes

• John Labrecque, Vice-president, Exploration: "We are excited to resume drilling at Duquesne West. Building on the strong results from 2024, our team has clearly defined the key targets for this next phase. With approximately $11.1-million in working capital... Emperor is well funded to execute this focused exploration program."