Company Interviews

Interview with Barry O'Shea, CEO of Highland Copper

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/highland-copper-tsxv-hi-fully-permitted-us-copper-developer-targets-2026-construction-decision-7322

Recording date: 23rd April 2026

Highland Copper Company is advancing its Copperwood project in Michigan's Upper Peninsula toward a construction decision in the second half of 2026, with copper production targeted for 2029. The company has committed significant capital to engineering work, partnering with DRA Global and other established firms to reach 40% engineering completion by Q4 2026. CEO Barry O'Shea emphasized that the company has restructured very well to make sure full funds are through to a final investment decision.

The financing strategy centers on a Letter of Intent from EXIM representing 60-70% of the $425 million capital requirement. While currently non-binding, management is actively working to convert this into a binding debt facility, supported by White House recognition of Copperwood as strategically important to US critical mineral production. The debt capacity has expanded from an estimated $250 million at $4 per pound copper to potentially $300-325 million at current price levels.

Highland recently sold its remaining one-third stake in the White Pine project for $30 million, providing immediate liquidity while allowing exclusive focus on Copperwood. The decision reflects the strategic advantages of Copperwood's $425 million capex and fully-permitted status compared to White Pine's $1+ billion requirement and unsubmitted permits.

The shift in long-term copper price consensus has fundamentally transformed Copperwood's economics. The project's NPV triples from $170 million at $4 per pound to $507 million at $5 per pound, with current spot prices near $6 delivering an $850 million valuation. Management strengthened its execution team by hiring Trace Arlaud as Project Director, bringing credentials from Rio Tinto's Resolution Copper project, and Peter Hemstead as interim CFO, a founding executive at Capstone Copper.

Highland trades at approximately $110 million market capitalization, supported by strong institutional shareholders including Orion Mines Finance (28%) and Condire (20%), positioning for a potential rerating as the EXIM commitment converts to binding debt.

View Highland Copper's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/highland-copper

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Recording date: 21st April 2026

Agnico Eagle has completed a landmark $4 billion Canadian consolidation of Finland's Ikkari gold project through three simultaneous acquisitions, establishing new valuation benchmarks that signal a fundamental reset in mining sector M&A activity.

The transaction structure involved acquiring Rupert Resources for $2.9 billion Canadian, purchasing B2Gold's 70% interest in the Fingold joint venture for $325 million US, and buying Aurion Resources for $481 million. The complexity arose from overlapping land positions, with Ikkari's development requiring access to joint venture ground and Aurion-controlled areas for optimal infrastructure placement.

For Olive Resource Capital, the Aurion acquisition delivered approximately 300% returns from a 68-cent cost basis established in January 2022. The $2.60 per share all-cash offer represented 60-70% premiums to recent trading levels and valued the combined resource base at roughly $500 US per ounce—double historical M&A ranges of $100-200/oz, though maintaining the traditional relationship of approximately 10% of gold prices.

Samuel Pelaez and Derek Macpherson, leading Olive Resource Capital, emphasized that the transaction removes a "unicorn" asset from an increasingly scarce market. The Ikkari project's 4.2 million ounce high-grade resource can support 200,000-250,000 ounces annually at potentially first-quartile cash costs—exactly what major producers seek but rarely find available.

The managers identified fewer than five tier-one development-stage assets remaining as potential near-term acquisition targets, noting that projects must deliver minimum 250,000 ounces annually to attract serious buyer interest. This scarcity dynamic intensifies competitive pressure as producers with balance sheet capacity—including Kinross, Barrick Gold, and SSR Mining—seek growth opportunities.

Rather than scrambling to redeploy Aurion proceeds, Olive Resource Capital had spent two years building replacement positions in companies including Goldsky Resources (Sweden), Prospector Metals (Yukon), and Omai. The valuation reset suggests projects trading at historical enterprise values may be materially undervalued as $400-500/oz becomes the new normal for quality development assets.

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Interview with Mark Mukhija, Director & CEO of Eagle Nuclear Energy

Recording date: 22nd April 2026

Eagle Nuclear Energy (NASDAQ:NUCL) is developing the Aurora Uranium project in southeastern Oregon, which the company describes as the largest minable measured and indicated uranium deposit in the United States. The resource stands at 32.75 million pounds indicated and approximately five million pounds inferred, established through more than 600 historical drill holes and formalised under both a JORC report and a subsequent SK-1300 technical report completed by Eagle.

The strategic context is unambiguous. The United States operates 94 nuclear reactors consuming approximately 50 million pounds of uranium annually, yet domestic production reached only two million pounds in 2025. That gap of nearly 48 million pounds is filled by imports, primarily from Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia. The US Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act and a series of 2025 executive orders have placed domestic uranium supply at the centre of American energy policy, creating a policy environment that did not exist for uranium developers even three years ago.

Eagle is fully funded to execute its near-term programme. With approximately $30 million in cash, the company prepares $4.7 million drill programme commencing by summer 2026 eyeing 47 holes, 27,000 feet, and a subsequent pre-feasibility study targeted for completion by end of 2027, without requiring additional capital raises. The drill programme is designed to deliver metallurgical data, hydrogeological information, rock mechanics results, and resource expansion potential, with several historical holes having terminated in mineralisation suggesting upside at depth.

The deposit itself presents a technically straightforward profile. Mineralisation is shallow, flat, and tabular, hosted in altered clays and volcanic tuffs within the McDermott Caldera. The high-grade zone at 400–500 ppm uranium sits above the lower-grade halo at a 100 ppm cut-off, which is favourable for early-stage economics and payback modelling. Management's internal estimates, preliminary and subject to PFS confirmation, indicate potential production of one to four million pounds per year over a 14-year mine life.

The company's intention is to process uranium independently, with a potential processing plant on private land in Nevada separate from the Oregon mine site. Eagle has held preliminary discussions with the Department of Energy and other federal agencies, and while no formal support mechanisms have been confirmed, management believes federal engagement will increase as the supply deficit widens.

Two secondary value drivers sit alongside the core uranium story. The deposit's overburden contains lithium at grades above 1,200 ppm though no formal resource has been defined. Eagle also holds early-stage proprietary SMR technology, currently in the concept validation phase, with a nuclear regulatory licensing specialist on staff to guide the R&D process.

For investors, the near-term catalysts are clear: drill results from summer 2026, PFS initiation by year-end, and any developments in federal uranium support mechanisms. The risk profile is that of an early-stage developer with no formal economics yet, permitting in early stages, and production still years away. The asset, however, is genuinely rare in the US context, and the macro backdrop for domestic uranium supply has seldom been more compelling.

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Interview with Anthony Margarit, President & CEO of K2 Gold

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/k2-gold-tsxvkto-high-grade-gold-project-nears-drilling-breakthrough-7843

Recording date: 22nd April 2026

K2 Gold (TSXV:KTO) has reached a meaningful inflection point. The company has received a Record of Decision on its Mojave Project in Inyo County, California completing a full Environmental Impact Statement process that typically applies to mine development, not exploration drilling. That distinction matters. K2 Gold navigated this regulatory gauntlet as an exploration-stage company, and in doing so has established a permitting position that competitors will find difficult and time-consuming to replicate.

The Mojave Project's east side gold trend is the primary near-term focus. Multiple parallel stacked oxide structures, dipping at approximately 70 degrees to the west, run across a 500-metre wide corridor along a 5 km trend. Mineralisation begins at surface, all material drilled to date is oxide, and the deepest planned holes average 220 to 250 metres without any previous operator having intersected the sulphide interface. Early shake-test metallurgical work has returned recoveries of 96–98%, a directionally positive early signal for processing simplicity, though systematic work remains ahead.

The Dragonfly target, where K2 Gold's 2020 highlight hole returned 86.9 metres at 4 g/t gold, anchors the east side programme. Eighteen drill pads are fully permitted across this zone, each accommodating four holes and positioned to be 43-101 resource compliant. Management's stated priority for 2026, however, is not resource definition but rather for target testing. The company has more high-priority undrilled ground than it can drill in a single season, which is a function of the project's scale rather than a limitation of capital or access.

The most significant undrilled target is located 1.5 kilometres north of Dragonfly, on the same structural system. Rock samples from this area have returned grades of up to 375 g/t gold with further samples of 142.5 g/t and numerous results above 30 g/t. This area carries no attributed resource value and has never seen a drill hole. The Stega and Flores targets add further depth to the undrilled queue, with channel samples grading 4–8 g/t and 4 g/t respectively over multi-metre intervals.

On the west side of the project, a 5 km copper trend supported by more than 200 many a century old historic workings and the polymetallic Morning Star area, adjacent to the historic Sarah Gorde silver mine, add optionality that has not yet been tested by modern drilling. Both areas sit on patented claims and are drill-accessible under existing permits.

The company's financial position reinforces its operational readiness. A C$25.25 million financing closed in January 2026, attracting K2 Gold's first institutional investor. All warrants have been exercised or expired, leaving a clean capital structure. Up to C$12 million has been allocated to exploration in 2026, and management has stated the company is funded beyond the year. The SI2 Nevada epithermal project provides additional near-term news flow, with assay results from a recently completed seven-hole programme expected imminently.

K2 Gold heads into 2026 with a funded exploration programme, a clean share structure, a fully permitted flagship project, and a drilling queue that spans multiple high-grade, undrilled targets. The geological and financial conditions are in place. The drill results will determine the outcome.

View K2 Gold's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/k2-gold-corporation

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Interview with Sam Lee, CEO, Northisle Copper & Gold 

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/northisle-copper-gold-tsxvncx-district-scale-vision-with-wheaton-institutional-backing-8233

Recording date: 21st April 2026

Northisle Copper & Gold is advancing one of British Columbia's largest undeveloped copper-gold districts at a critical juncture for Western critical minerals development. The company recently raised over $150 million to fast-track its flagship project through pre-feasibility study following designation as a top priority within BC's Critical Minerals Office, marking a fundamental validation of both the project's strategic importance and technical merits.

Despite this institutional endorsement, Northisle trades at just 0.3 times analyst consensus net asset value—within the typical range for preliminary economic assessment-stage projects but below the 0.4-0.7x band associated with pre-feasibility stage assets. This valuation gap presents a systematic re-rating opportunity as the company achieves de-risking milestones throughout 2025 and 2026.

The published economics demonstrate considerable upside sensitivity to current commodity prices. The February 2025 preliminary economic assessment showed $5 billion after-tax NPV using $2,900 gold and $4.60 copper, whereas current analyst consensus stands at $3,400 gold and $4.70 copper. This pricing differential alone suggests substantial NPV expansion beyond the published figures.

Management is executing three parallel initiatives to enhance project economics: incorporating the 1.2-kilometer West Goodspeed discovery (showing 0.7-1% copper equivalent at surface) into Q2 2026 resource estimates; optimizing metallurgical recoveries through potential CIL plant twinning to increase Phase 2 gold recovery from 63% to 80%; and accelerating permitting timelines through government and First Nations partnerships.

Beyond the flagship deposit, Northisle controls 40 kilometers of a 50-kilometer porphyry district with 70 years of inherited exploration data valued at over $40 million. CEO Sam Lee characterizes this as a "free call option" on world-class discovery potential that doesn't factor into current valuations.

The capital structure strategy emphasizes diversified, low-cost financing sources. Wheaton Precious Metals' cornerstone investment positions the company to access precious metals streaming at 0-4% cost of capital, while strategic off-take agreements would unlock sub-2% Exim Bank debt. Management maintains 12-13% ownership and requires 3-5x returns on any equity dilution, ensuring shareholder alignment through development.

Learn more: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/northisle-copper-gold

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Interview with Bruce Lane, Executive Director & CEO of American Uranium

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/american-uranium-asxamu-strategic-rebrand-partnership-targets-growing-nuclear-demand-7878

Recording date: 20th April 2026

American Uranium is rapidly advancing its flagship Lo Herma project in Wyoming's Powder River Basin to help meet a looming U.S. energy supply shortage. The company recently announced a significant interim resource update, reaching 9.45 million pounds of uranium at an improved average grade of 720 parts per million. Having completed the first half of a 121-hole drilling program, the development team is actively targeting optimal mineralization zones and upgrading resource confidence levels.

With an upcoming scoping study slated for the third quarter of 2026, American Uranium aims to showcase robust project economics. Early internal modeling points to a highly favorable financial outlook, estimating all-in sustaining costs around $40 per pound alongside initial capital expenditures of $60 to $70 million. These figures stand out as long-term uranium contract prices push toward the $100 per pound mark. To further bolster its development options, the company recently secured 1,000 acres of private mineral rights adjacent to existing resource boundaries, unlocking fresh exploration targets and streamlining future mine planning.

The Lo Herma project benefits immensely from its location in a premier mining jurisdiction with a 50-year history of in-situ recovery operations. Surrounded by established infrastructure and successfully permitted facilities, the company enjoys a largely de-risked regulatory environment. A recent $2.64 million capital raise provides the necessary funding to finish drilling, conduct crucial hydrological testing, and install water monitoring wells. By strategically checking off these technical milestones, American Uranium is positioning itself to initiate production by 2029 or 2030. This timeline aligns perfectly with a projected U.S. supply deficit of up to 50 million pounds, driven by an expanding domestic reactor fleet and surging energy demands from new technology sectors.

View American Uranium's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/american-uranium

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Interview with Philippe Cloutier, President & CEO of Cartier Resources Inc.

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/cartier-resources-inc-tsxvecr-continuous-focused-drilling-resource-update-ahead-9429

Recording date: 21st April 2026

Cartier Resources Inc. occupies a rare piece of real estate in the global gold mining landscape. The Quebec-based junior explorer holds the only remaining significant exploration position on a 50-kilometre stretch of the Cadillac Fault in Abitibi — Canada's most prolific gold-producing structure — flanked on all sides by producing mines owned by majors including Agnico Eagle, Eldorado, and IAMGold.

With a market capitalisation of approximately $120 million and $7 million in cash, the company has quietly consolidated 15 kilometres of strike length along the fault, defining 3.2 million ounces of gold across four distinct mineralisation types. That variety of deposit styles is central to CEO Philippe Cloutier's investment thesis: this isn't a single-zone story, but a camp-scale system with multiple potential deposits that together could determine the optimal layout for a future mining operation.

The most immediate challenge facing Cartier is the disconnect between its current public economic assessment and reality. Its 2023 Preliminary Economic Assessment modelled a standalone mill at $1,750 per ounce gold — well below today's prices — producing capital cost figures that look punishing by current standards. An updated scoping study is in progress, expected to incorporate recent shallow high-grade discoveries, metallurgical results, and scenarios involving toll milling through neighbouring producers with excess capacity. No release date has been confirmed.

Agnico Eagle's major shareholding and the recent board appointment of industry veteran Glenn Mullan signal institutional confidence in the asset. The company is 50% through its current drill program, having already met all initial objectives, with new discoveries prompting a revised approach to the remaining work.

Near-term catalysts include updated economics at current gold prices, continued drill results, a planned OTC QB listing to reach U.S. retail investors, and growing M&A interest as senior producers seek permitted, development-ready projects.

View Cartier Resources' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/cartier-resources-inc

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Interview with Mark Major, CEO of Krakatoa Resources

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/krakatoa-resources-asxkta-high-grade-antimony-project-targets-jorc-by-early-2026-7133

Recording date: 21st April 2026

Krakatoa Resources presents a uniquely undervalued opportunity in the critical minerals sector, advancing the high-grade Zopkhito antimony and gold project in Georgia to address Western supply shortages.

The company is currently valued at roughly $170 per ton of contained antimony, sitting at a steep discount to the $750 to $1,500 peer average. The Zopkhito deposit features an exceptional antimony grade of 11.6%, containing an estimated 26,000 tons of the critical metal alongside a significant upside of over 800,000 ounces of gold. This dual-commodity profile positions Krakatoa as a crucial future supplier for European markets, which currently face strategic antimony shortages and rely heavily on Chinese exports.

To minimize upfront capital risk and expedite cash flow, Krakatoa is executing a three-phased operational rollout. The initial phase focuses on near-term lump ore antimony production, benefiting from the site's active mining license which streamlines the permitting process. Later phases will introduce mechanized processing facilities and target the project's extensive gold mineralization. Additionally, the presence of historical Soviet-era underground tunnels enables cost-effective internal drilling, allowing the company to bypass expensive surface drilling and accelerate resource validation.

Krakatoa expects a series of value-driving catalysts throughout 2026 as it transitions into a development-stage company. The primary objective is delivering a formal JORC-compliant resource estimate by the end of the year, supported by recent drilling that validates over 20,000 historical sample points. The company is also advancing metallurgical studies, preliminary economic assessments, and offtake negotiations with European and global partners. By demonstrating extraction viability through its phased approach, Krakatoa aims to close its valuation gap and secure its role in the global critical minerals supply chain.

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Interview with Blaine Monaghan, President & CEO of Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/pacific-ridge-exploration-tsxvpex-undervalued-bc-copper-explorer-reports-first-resource-estimate-8193

Recording date: 20th April 2026

Pacific Ridge Exploration is advancing two copper-gold porphyry projects in British Columbia's southern Toodoggone district during a period of elevated commodity prices. With copper trading around $6 per pound—triple the level when drilling commenced in 2021—the economics of the company's flagship Kliyul project have fundamentally improved.

The company has defined a maiden resource of 334 million tons grading 0.33% copper equivalent at Kliyul, representing 5.7 million ounces of gold equivalent. This resource was discovered for approximately $15 million across 20,000 meters of drilling, demonstrating capital efficiency that CEO Blaine Monaghan believes provides significant leverage for future exploration. The deposit is characterized as a gold-rich system with a 2:1 gold-to-copper value ratio, offering exposure to both commodities.

Management's explicit strategy is to build a resource large enough to attract merger and acquisition interest from major mining companies. The initial target of 500 million tons appears achievable through systematic step-out drilling at the Kliyul main zone, which remains open in multiple directions on 150-meter drill spacing. Beyond resource expansion, the company has identified three untested porphyry targets along a 6-kilometer mineralized trend—M39 and Klip being the highest priority—that offer discovery potential to enhance both resource size and grade profile.

The RDP project presents additional upside through a concealed porphyry center interpreted to lie between two mineralized magnetic lobes. Only 12 modern holes have tested this target, with the 2026 program allocating 1,500 to 2,000 meters specifically to this high-priority zone.

Despite resources comparable to peers trading 6-8 times higher, Pacific Ridge maintains a market capitalization of approximately $15 million. Management attributes this valuation discount to recent share dilution and limited news flow during winter months, factors they believe are now largely resolved. The company plans to drill a minimum of 4,000 meters at both projects during the 2026 field season, with results expected from late summer through year-end, providing multiple catalysts for market re-rating.

View Pacific Ridge Exploration's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/pacific-ridge-exploration

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Recording date: 17th April 2026

Recent developments in the Guyana mining sector have dramatically reshaped valuations for junior gold companies. The spark came when G Mining acquired G2 Goldfields for roughly $3 billion CAD. This deal carried a massive 80% premium, valuing G2’s 3.2 million recoverable ounces at about $600 CAD per ounce. To put this in perspective, imagine a neighborhood where a house suddenly sells for nearly double the historical market rate; naturally, every other homeowner immediately reevaluates their own property's worth. This transaction established one of the highest valuation benchmarks seen in recent mining mergers and acquisitions.

Just three days after the G2 buyout, Omai Gold Mines capitalized on the shifting landscape by releasing a massive mineral resource update. Revealing nearly 8 million ounces, Omai boasts a resource base more than double that of G2. As the most advanced asset in the Guiana Shield not already owned by a producing company, Omai's scarcity value has skyrocketed. Investors quickly connected the dots: applying the $600-per-ounce metric to Omai suggests a potential valuation approaching $6 per share, a steep premium over its recent $2.50 trading price. Unsurprisingly, Omai shares surged 40% within a week as the broader market recognized this discrepancy.

Investment firms are actively maneuvering to capture this upside. Olive Resource Capital, holding Omai as its largest asset, navigated recent market turbulence with surgical precision by selling equities in February and aggressively buying during March volatility. As the broader gold sector shifts its focus toward operational efficiency and supply chain management rather than aggressive growth, advanced development assets like Omai stand out as prime targets for future industry consolidation.

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