Highland Copper Company Inc. announced that it has initiated site activity at its Copperwood project in Upper Peninsula, Michigan. Particularly, it has completed wetland impacts and initiated the related environmental mitigation projects as required by its permit obligations and in line with Highland's goal to operate in an environmentally friendly manner. This represents a key step towards project financing and development.

Highland is also pleased to provide a project update on key areas of the project including community relations and technical optimization work. Key Highlights. Completed key Copperwood site impacts and initiated related environmental mitigation projects.

Site work performed on budget with no lost time or reportable environmental incidents. Increased regional and State stakeholder engagement levels; considerable project support demonstrated. Focus over the coming months shifting to key technical optimizations to improve economic strength of the Copperwood project.

Copperwood Site Update. The Copperwood project is Highland's 100%-owned, fully-permitted copper project in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA. All permits for site construction and operation are issued by the State of Michigan.

The Copperwood Feasibility Study issued in April 2023 demonstrated a robust project producing 64.6 million pounds of copper (approximately 30 thousand tonnes) annually over an initial 11-year mine life. Community Relations. While initiating on-the-ground activity, Highland has kept all key stakeholders appropriately informed.

This includes periodic stakeholder meetings to deliver project updates. As a demonstration of support, a range of local authorities have provided resolutions of support for the Copperwood project. This includes resolutions from Gogebic County (where Copperwood is located), Ontonagon County, the City of Ironwood, the City of Bessemer, the townships of Ironwood, Bergland, Carp Lake and Erwin, as well as the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region Commission, just to name a few.

The western Upper Peninsula has a rich mining history. Since mining left the region, its economic strength has diminished in the last several decades. Highland has commissioned a third party to prepare a report evaluating the potential regional economic contribution of developing and operating the Copperwood project.

While Copperwood is expected to generate significant direct investment and employment, there is also expected to be a considerable indirect economic contribution. The report is expected to be completed in the near term and Highland will provide an update when the report is published. White Pine North Update.

Following the joint venture transaction with Kinterra in July this year, Highland has been very pleased to see Kinterra's level of engagement while transitioning control. Kinterra has allocated considerable resources to understanding all technical aspects of the project and developing plans for environmental baselining, technical studies and preparation for a potential winter drilling campaign. Kinterra have also hired a Project Director, Chad Wolahan.

Chad brings with him a 15-year track record of project management expertise in the mining industry. Reseeded Wetland: Impacted wetland areas are hydroseeded to maintain soil erosion capabilities.