Gunnison Copper Corp. has completed initial metallurgical drilling at the Gunnison deposit in Arizona and commenced follow-up metallurgical work at the Strong & Harris satellite deposit as part of its ongoing district-scale exploration campaign.

Two drill rigs are active on site following the completion of 7,950 feet across seven holes dedicated to metallurgical optimization. The broader 2026 program is budgeted at over US$15 million and is designed to encompass up to 120 drill holes totaling approximately 138,000 feet across the company's properties in the Southern Arizona Copper Belt.

The flagship Gunnison Copper Project anchors a land package controlling 12 known deposits within an 8-kilometer economic radius. A March 2026 preliminary economic assessment for the asset reported an NPV8% of $2 billion, an IRR of 23%, and a payback period of 3.9 years, comparing favorably with an earlier study that estimated an NPV8% of $1.3 billion and an IRR of 20.9% with a 4.1-year payback.

Alongside the drilling update, Gunnison expanded its technical testing parameters. The company increased its planned column leach testing program from 270 to 405 tests, with 68 currently underway. The updated metallurgical work program also incorporates 63 flotation tests aimed at recovering copper, zinc, and silver from sulfide zones.

Construction of a new core logging and storage facility on site is progressing toward a scheduled completion in September. That facility is expected to allow the company to scale its operational capacity from two to six active drill rigs to accelerate resource expansion and conversion.

“We are pleased with the progress made during the first phase of our district-wide drilling program. Completing the initial metallurgical drilling at Gunnison and advancing work at Strong & Harris are important milestones as we continue to optimize the project and unlock additional value across the district. With six drill rigs expected to be operating in September, we'll significantly increase the pace of drilling as we begin an exciting phase focused on expanding and upgrading the resource base. We believe the district offers exceptional potential to add additional mineral resources, as well as the possibility of recovering payable zinc and silver byproduct credits, and we look forward to sharing preliminary results as they become available later this year.”

— Craig Hallworth, President and CEO

Preliminary results from the 2026 district-wide drill program are scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2026, with full analytical results anticipated by mid-2027.

Read the full announcement: Gunnison Copper Accelerates District-Wide Drill Program, Preparing for Six-Rig Expansion and Upcoming Preliminary Metallurgical Results