VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / January 14, 2026 / BTU METALS CORP. ("BTU" or the "Company") (TSXV:BTU)(OTCQB:BTUMF) continues to advance exploration efforts at several of its Ontario properties including geophysics and planned drilling for the newly acquired Dixie East Project in Red Lake, planned drilling at the Hubcap property outside Wawa, Ontario and planned drilling to be undertaken by Kinross on the optioned-out Dixie Halo project adjacent to the new world class Great Bear gold project near Red Lake Ontario. All planned programs are fully funded by the recent oversubscribed financing.

Highlights from BTU 2025 and 2026 Exploration Program

Dixie Halo, Red Lake Mining District, under earn-in agreement with Kinross (TSX:K)

• Kinross completed 8,200 metres of drilling at BTU's Dixie Halo property and has confirmed plans to complete its earn-in to 70% of that property.

• Initial drilling consisted of 14 holes in two areas of the property.

• Drilling in the eastern part of the property outlined numerous areas of alteration favourable for gold mineralization and expanded the understanding of the geology of the TNT area of the property as well as the more northeasterly part of the Dixie Halo property toward the Great Bear property.

• The first drill hole completed by Kinross, BTU-25-001 included an intersection of visible gold ("VG") that returned an assay interval of 2.65 g/t Au over 0.75 m, and several other holes intersected anomalous gold values and significant alteration. Other intervals in other areas returned values generally in the 0.25 g/t to 1.0 g/t gold over intervals of around 1.0m. The holes were generally widely spaced and one per general target.

• The alteration and mineralization intersected by Kinross in their 2025 drill program were sufficiently encouraging to have Kinross commit to incur significant additional expenditures in the next phase of exploration.

• Under the earn-in and joint venture agreement Kinross committed to spend not less than $2,700,000 in the first three years of the option agreement and a further $2,000,000 to earn its 70% interest in the Dixie Halo option claim group. Kinross expects to start the process of carrying out work to earn the 70% interest shortly.

Dixie East Project, Red Lake Mining District

• The Company will undertake line cutting, an induced polarization-resistivity survey and other geophysical surveys this quarter to identify potentially sulphide enriched and altered areas that may be gold bearing and become drill targets that will, provided the Company is able to secure permits in a timely manner, be drill tested in the first half of 2026.

• A historical data compilation of the Property has been completed, which will fast-track exploration targeting on the Property.

• A ‘Plan' covering the geophysical work and line cutting has been filed with Ontario's Ministry of Energy and Mines and work should be able to commence by the end of January or early February.

• A permit application for drilling will be filed soon with the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Mines with the expectation being approval will be received in a timely manner and drilling could commence shortly after receipt of the required Early Exploration Permit.

Echum Project, Wawa, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie Mining District

• Prospecting samples collected at the Echum Project, contiguous to the Alamos Gold Inc. Island Gold Mine District (TSX:AGI), garnered results from trace up to as high as 20 g/t gold 65 g/t silver and 1290 ppm copper* in the Ballard Lake area where historical samples have returned assay values from trace to as high as 109 g/t gold*, 153 g/t gold* and 76 g/t gold*. (* grab and prospecting samples are, by definition, not unbiased and readers should use caution in assessing the importance of such sample results). Historical samples predate the acquisition of the property by the Company and the Qualified Person responsible for the technical disclosure in this release is unable to verify the results or comment on the reliability of the results

• The Company plans to carry out further geochemical and prospecting work as well as line cutting and geophysical surveys on selected potential gold targets in mid to late 2026 to follow-up and identify drill targets.

Hubcap Project, Wawa, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie Mining District

• Prospecting, sampling and induced polarization-resistivity geophysical programs were completed in Fall 2025 at the Hubcap gold property, a land package that has been assembled over several years in an underexplored part of the very active Wawa area.

• The Company's claims are contiguous to Red Pine Resources Exploration Inc. (RPX.V) and include the historic Centennial gold mine, named for its initial operations around 1900, more than 125 years ago and less than 40 years after Canada became a country.

• The Company has identified strong east west to southeast northwest shear zones and mineralized quartz vein systems that appear to be cut by or rotated into an alteration and mineralization trend that is more north south to northeast southwest that appears to be the extension from the Red Pine War Eagle gold discovery. The War Eagle gold mineralization is located within 700 metres of the southern boundary of the Red Pine Wawa project boundary.

• Specific drill targets have been identified, and the project is permitted for initial drilling.

• Drill program details will be provided once the program commences

"With Kinross advancing our Dixie Halo project with further drilling, and BTU preparing to drill at both Dixie East and Hubcap, 2026 is shaping up to be a potentially pivotal year for the Company and our shareholders," commented Paul Wood, CEO of BTU Metals Corp. "Our portfolio of Ontario gold projects give shareholders exposure in a great jurisdiction to a strong array of opportunities in this surging mining market."

Qualified Person
Bruce Durham, P. Geo., VP Exploration of the Company is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

About BTU
BTU Metals Corp. is a junior mining exploration company. BTU's primary assets are the Dixie Halo Project located in Red Lake, Ontario (optioned to Kinross) immediately adjacent to the Kinross Great Bear Project, the Dixie East project and its gold and critical minerals properties in the active Wawa gold district. The Company continues to look to acquire high quality exploration projects to add to its portfolio for the benefit of its stakeholders. The Company has no debt and minimal property obligations.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"Paul Wood"
Paul Wood, CEO, Director
pwood@btumetals.com

BTU Metals Corp.
Telephone: 1-604-683-3995
Toll Free: 1-888-945-4770

Cautionary Statement
Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. The information in this release about future plans and objectives of the Company is forward-looking information. Other forward-looking information includes but is not limited to information concerning: the intentions, plans and future actions of the Company.

Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information.

This forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time it was made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: risks relating to the global economic climate; dilution; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for the Company to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on the Company and the industry; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of the normal course of business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information other than as required by law.

SOURCE: BTU Metals Corp.