NorthWest Reports Near-Surface Intersept of 25.9 Metres Grading 0.91 % Cu, 1.29 g/t Au (2.09% CuEq) From 154 Metres TORONTO, Jan. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NorthWest Copper Corp. (“NorthWest” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: NWST) is pleased to report drill results from hole K-25-287 completed as part of its 2025 program at the Company’s 100% owned Kwanika project in British Columbia. The hole returned higher-grade1 results in both the Pit and Central Zones, highlighted by a significant near-surface intercept of 25.9 metres grading 0.91% Cu and 1.29g/t Au (2.09% copper equivalent2, “CuEq”). Paul Olmsted, CEO of NorthWest, stated: “This drill hole is the 15th reported from our 2025 exploration program at Kwanika, a program which we believe has been highly successful in achieving its goals and will be value accretive. The program exceeded expectations by demonstrating the continuity of higher-grade zones over significant widths in both the Central Zone and the Pit Zone, materially improving our understanding of the mineralization. Results from the Pit Zone, in particular, are expected to support higher-grade open pit mineral resources. When combined with increased confidence in the higher-grade Central Zone to support alternative underground mining methods, and targeted recovery improvements from ongoing metallurgical test work, we expect to deliver an exciting mineral resource update in the first quarter of the year. Together, these developments are expected to support the potential for a more capital-efficient and economically compelling combined open pit and underground development plan, to be reflected in an updated preliminary economic assessment (“PEA”) delivered in mid 2026 that will aim to improve upon the 2023 PEA3.” Hole K-25-287 intersected multiple higher-grade intercepts across a number of mineralized zones in both the Pit and Central Zones over significant widths. The hole returned unexpectedly wide intercepts within Pit Zone 10 and 12 at shallow depths, expanding the size of these higher-grade zones and providing better definition of the zones relative to Pit Zone 5. The hole also intersected the Central Zone over a significant combined true width of 32.0 metres. This result continues to demonstrate the east-west zonation of the mineralization from copper-dominant to gold-dominant towards the west and clarifies an area poorly tested by a historical low-angle drill hole. Drill Hole Highlights: K-25-287 Pit Zone 11:47.5 metres of 1.22% Cu, 0.82g/t Au (1.99% CuEq) from 96.5 metresPit Zone 10: 35.9 metres of 0.81% Cu, 1.03g/t Au (1.75% CuEq) from 144 metres including 25.9 metres of 0.91% Cu, 1.29g/t Au (2.09% CuEq) from 179.9 metresCentral Zone:32.0 metres of 0.32% Cu, 1.13g/t Au (1.34% CuEq) from 285 metres Geoff Chinn, VP Business Development and Exploration, added: “With the final drill hole reported in the Kwanika Central Deposit, we have confirmed that potassic alteration crosscut by mineralized quartz stockwork, later deformed by faults and fractures and overprinted by silica, sericite and pyrite, forms discrete continuous zones of higher-grade mineralization. Mineralization at Kwanika is strongly structurally controlled, which we believe has been emplaced along active fault zones. These zones have a distinctive geometry relative to the north-south trending Central Zone, where the Western Zones strike east-west, dip north and abut the western margin of the Central Zone, while the Pit Zones also strike east-west but dip south and abut the eastern margin of the Central Zone. These orientations are consistent with pull-apart faults, where the Central Zone is interpreted to be related to a crossing strike-slip zone, while the Pit Zones and Western Zones are associated with extensional normal faults. Pull-apart extensional faulting is known to be favourable structural settings for porphyry deposits, and while the full extent of structures at Kwanika remains unknown, hidden by younger sedimentary rocks and glacial cover, it represents a highly prospective geological environment warranting further exploration. With drill results at the Kwanika deposit complete we look forward to results from nearby exploration targets drilled as part of the 2025 program.” Kwanika Exploration Program On April 10, 2025, NorthWest announced a refined model for its flagship Kwanika project (“Target Model”), highlighting three key higher-grade zones: the Pit, Central and Western Zones. These zones target grades of 1.5% to 2.5% CuEq over combined true thicknesses of 30 to 45 metres, to be assessed against a more selective top-down bulk underground mining method. The 2025 exploration program was designed to confirm, define and expand on the Company’s understanding of higher-grade copper-gold mineralization within the near surface and underground portions of the current mineral resources. Results of the 15 holes drilled at Kwanika, including holes K-25-287 demonstrate the merits of the program and indicate meaningful progress t