Mr. Vince Sorace reports

KUTCHO COPPER PROVIDES INTERIM METALLURGICAL UPDATE

Kutcho Copper Corp. has provided an update to its metallurgical program based on work led by Len Holland of Holland & Holland Consultants (United Kingdom), an internationally recognized metallurgical consultant, and Ausenco Ltd., a multinational engineering company. Results to date suggest a simplified reagent suite that could achieve similar recoveries and concentrate grades, but at lower capital and operating costs compared with the 2017 Kutcho prefeasibility study (please see the company's website or SEDAR for the 2017 National Instrument 43-101 technical report).

"The revised metallurgical program test results reveal potential for an important value addition to the Kutcho project," said Vince Sorace, president and chief executive officer of Kutcho Copper. "The Kutcho team continues to identify opportunities to enhance the value of the project through previously reported resource increases, operational efficiencies through areas such as this enhanced metallurgical performance and progressing towards completion of the feasibility study."

Optimization program

Kutcho's team, led by Mr. Holland, identified an opportunity to improve on the historical metallurgical work conducted by previous owners of the Kutcho project. The company has developed an improved reagent scheme based upon an optimized primary grind and standard zinc depressor reagents to obtain selectivity between the copper and zinc at a relatively high pH in the copper float. The flow sheet and reagent scheme presently developed is both simpler and lower operating cost when compared with previous proposed systems. In addition, lower levels of zinc reporting to the initial copper concentrate should assist in improving the overall zinc reporting to the zinc circuit.

Grind parameters are typical of those used for polymetallic deposits similar to Kutcho, with a primary grind anticipated at 60 microns. A regrind on the copper rougher concentrate will be required and is presently anticipated as plus or minus 25 microns, while the zinc circuit does not require a regrind.

The 2017 prefeasibility study utilized life-of-mine average recoveries of 84.7 per cent copper, 75.7 per cent zinc, 48.0 per cent silver and 41.2 per cent gold, with the copper concentrate anticipated to grade 27.6 per cent copper and the zinc concentrate anticipated to grade 55.1 per cent zinc.

"The metallurgical test work is presently in the regrind and cleaner phase to optimize the separation of the value metals into their respective concentrates. Regrind and cleaner phase test work is anticipated to be complete within two weeks, with lock-cycle test work to be performed thereafter to establish the overall metallurgical parameters for the feasibility study. It is anticipated that the results of the present test work will be comparable to previous metallurgy, but with lower plant operating and capital costs," commented Mr. Holland.

Mr. Holland is an experienced mineral processing engineer with considerable expertise in the recovery of metals from polymetallic ores spanning several decades on deposits around the world. Mr. Holland has more than 50 years of experience in worldwide operations and consulting, in association with, but not limited to, BP Minerals, Glencore, SNC Lavalin and First Quantum. The metallurgical test work is being carried out in the Bureau Veritas laboratories in Richmond, B.C., Canada, under the direction and supervision of the Kutcho metallurgical team.

Qualified person

Mr. Holland holds a BSc (honours) in extraction metallurgy from the University of Wales (Swansea, United Kingdom); is a fellow of the Institution of Materials Mining and Metallurgy and a fellow of the Minerals Engineering Society; and is a chartered engineer. Mr. Holland is an independent technical consultant with over 50 years of global experience in mine development and metallurgy. Mr. Holland is a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, of the Canadian Securities Administrators and has reviewed and approved this press release.

Rory Kutluoglu, BSc, PGeo, a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, has read and approved all technical and scientific information contained in this news release. Mr. Kutluoglu is the company's vice-president, exploration and development.

About Kutcho Copper Corp.

Kutcho Copper is a Canadian resource development company focused on expanding and developing the Kutcho high-grade copper-zinc project in Northern British Columbia. Committed to social responsibility and the highest environmental standards, the company intends to progress the Kutcho project through feasibility and permitting to a positive construction decision.

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