Coppernico Signs Drill Contract for Phase 2 Drill Program at Sombrero

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coppernico Metals Inc. (TSX: COPR, OTCQB: CPPMF, FSE: 9I3) (“Coppernico” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary, Sombrero Minerales S.A.C., has signed a new agreement with AK Drilling International S.A. (“AK Drilling”), a Peru-based drilling contractor, to carry out the Company’s Phase 2 drill program at its copper-gold Sombrero Project (“Sombrero” or the “Project”) located in Ayacucho, Peru.

Under the agreement, Coppernico has committed to a minimum of 5,000 metres of diamond drilling, subject to receiving the start-of-activities authorization from Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines (“MINEM”), which the Company currently anticipates receiving in the coming months. Mobilization of equipment and personnel is expected to begin following receipt of the final authorization.

Ivan Bebek, CEO and Chair of Coppernico, commented, “We are pleased to continue our collaboration with AK Drilling, following their strong operational performance during our Phase 1 drill program and demonstrated commitment to safety and environmental management. Phase 1 was completed without any safety incidents, and their team performed very well throughout the program. We look forward to working with them again as we take this important next step toward testing the key target areas at Sombrero through a larger, focused, multi-target drill program.

“The next phase of drilling is expected to create considerable job opportunities for our local communities. In parallel, agricultural initiatives supported through AGROIDEAS remain ongoing, reflecting our commitment to creating sustainable, long-term benefits for communities surrounding Sombrero beyond the exploration program itself.

“Coppernico is financed to advance the initial stages of the program, supported by the C$6.5 million secured through two recently completed financings. These financings included participation by Teck Resources Limited, maintaining its 9.9% ownership position in the Company.”

High-Level Phase 2 Drilling Strategy

The 2026 Phase 2 drill program is being designed to systematically advance some of the most compelling targets across the broader Sombrero Project, with an initial focus on expanding known mineralization at Fierrazo and testing a pipeline of high-priority exploration targets (Figure 1).

 
Figure 1: Expanded drill permit area and planned 2026/2027 drill target zones

Drilling is expected to commence at Fierrazo, where historical drilling has demonstrated significant copper mineralization and geological and geophysical evidence indicates that the system remains open in multiple directions. The planned program will seek to expand the known mineralized footprint, establish continuity and further define the scale potential of the Fierrazo system.

Beyond Fierrazo, the Company plans to thoroughly test a series of key targets across the Ccascabamba and Tipicancha target areas, as well as the Huachana target located south of Nioc. Planned drilling includes initial testing of the mineralized system at Huachana; focused drilling at Chumpi; vectoring within the Hojota and Corrales zones; and initial drill evaluation of Tipicancha.

The drill program has been structured to allow the Company to scale activity in response to results, including the potential deployment of additional drill rigs to accelerate follow-up on successful targets. This flexibility is intended to allow Coppernico to rapidly advance encouraging results while continuing to evaluate the broader Sombrero target pipeline.

Nioc represents another high-priority drill target, where community agreements and permitting activities are underway with the objective of commencing an initial drill campaign in the first half of 2027. Recent channel sampling at Nioc identified multiple areas of copper mineralization at surface, including intervals over tens of metres grading approximately 1% copper (see the Company’s news releases dated September 4, 2025 and January 12, 2026), which remain open for expansion and have not previously been drill tested.

Collectively, the Phase 2 drill program is designed to test both the scale of advanced mineralized systems and a series of new, untested discovery opportunities across Sombrero, creating multiple avenues for significant value. Further details, including specific drill locations, sequencing and timelines, will be provided as the Company advances toward mobilization and the commencement of drilling in the near future.

Upcoming Conferences and Events

Coppernico plans to maintain an active presence at key industry conferences and investor events through the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. Management will be available for meetings with investors, analysts and industry participants at the following events. Investors interested in requesting an in-person meeting with management at any of the roadshows or conferences listed below are encouraged to contact the Company at info@coppernicometals.com.

• New York Non-Deal Roadshow – September 16-17, 2026, New York City, New York
• 2026 Precious Metals Summit Beaver Creek – September 22-25, 2026, Beaver Creek, Colorado
  • CEO Presentation: Thursday, September 24, from 1:30 to 1:45 p.m., Room 2
• European Non-Deal Roadshow – September 27-October 2, 2026, Frankfurt, Zurich and Munich
• Kinvestor Day Virtual Investor Conference – October 22, 2026
• Red Cloud Fall Mining Showcase 2026 – October 28-29, 2026, Toronto, Ontario
• 2026 Precious Metals Summit Zurich – November 9-11, 2026, Zurich, Switzerland
  • CEO Presentation: Wednesday, November 11, from 2:30 to 2:45 p.m., Room 2
• 121 Mining Investment London – November 23-24, 2026, London, England
• 121 Mining Investment Dubai – November 26-27, 2026, Dubai, UAE
• Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC) 2027 – January 24-25, 2027, Vancouver, British Columbia
• Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2027 – March 7-10, 2027, Toronto, Ontario

Additional information regarding Coppernico’s participation, including presentation and meeting details as they become available, can be found on the Company’s Upcoming Events page at www.coppernicometals.com/upcoming-events.

Technical Disclosure and Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Tim Kingsley, M.Sc., CPG, Coppernico’s Vice President of Exploration, who is a “Qualified Person” as defined in NI 43-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ivan Bebek
Chair & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Coppernico Metals Inc.
Phone: +1 778 729 0600

Email: info@coppernicometals.com    

Website: www.coppernicometals.com

Twitter: @CoppernicoMetal

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/coppernico-metals/

About Coppernico

Coppernico is a mineral exploration company focused on creating value for shareholders and stakeholders through diligent project evaluation and exploration, in pursuit of the discovery of large-scale high-grade copper-gold deposits in the Americas. The Company’s management and technical teams have a successful track record of raising capital, discovery and the monetization of exploration successes. The Company's objective is to become a leading advanced copper and gold explorer, and through its wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary Sombrero Minerales S.A.C., is currently focused on the Ccascabamba (previously referred to as Sombrero Main) and Nioc target areas within the Sombrero Project in Peru, its flagship project, while regularly reviewing additional premium projects to consider for acquisition.

The Sombrero Project is a land package of approximately 57,000 hectares (570 square kilometres) located in the north-western margins of the world-renowned Andahuaylas-Yauri trend in Peru. It consists of a number of prospective exploration targets characterized by copper-gold skarn and porphyry systems and precious metal epithermal systems. The Company’s NI 43-101 technical report, with an effective date of April 17, 2024, and as filed on SEDAR+ on May 23, 2024, focuses on the Ccascabamba and Nioc target areas of the Sombrero Project. The Tipicancha target was determined subsequent to the date of that report.

Common shares of Coppernico Metals Inc. are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “COPR”, trades on the OTCQB Venture Market under symbol “CPPMF” and is quoted over the counter by certain dealers in the Unofficial Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “9I3”. More information about Coppernico can be found on the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

Cautionary Note

No regulatory organization has approved the contents hereof.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “may”, “should”, “anticipate”, “expect”, “intend” and similar expressions and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the receipt of the remaining authorization from MINEM; the timing, funding and execution of the Phase 2 drill program; planned drilling at Fierrazo and other priority targets; the interpretation of exploration data; the potential scale and continuity of mineralization; and the potential for future drilling to expand known mineralization or result in new discoveries. No certainty can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be heavily relied upon. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers should refer to the risks discussed in the Company’s 2025 Annual Information Form and other continuous disclosure filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators, available at www.sedarplus.ca. These factors are not, and should not be construed as being, exhaustive. Accordingly, readers should not place heavy reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in the Company’s expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6c0d4f01-1c63-4ca5-a3b7-196d05b15970