REG - ECR Minerals PLC - Raglan Production Plan Underway

ECR MineralsAnnouncement

26/01/2026 07:00

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RNS Number : 3207Q  ECR Minerals PLC  26 January 2026

 

 

26 January 2026

 

ECR MINERALS PLC

 

("ECR Minerals", "ECR" or the "Company")

 

Raglan Production Plan Underway as ECR Prepares for Initial Gold

 

ECR Minerals plc (AIM: ECR), the gold exploration and development company
focused on Australia, is pleased to announce that it is implementing its
production plan at the Raglan alluvial gold project (the "Raglan Project")
this week, marking a key step as the Company prepares to enter initial gold
production.

 

The Company has profiled the site and identified priority locations for
initial trenching. These areas will be worked at successive depths as part of
a broader programme designed to determine where gold grades are highest before
progressing upstream across the property. In parallel, ECR will re-analyse
previously worked ground, particularly at deeper levels, where the Board
believes - consistent with outcomes at the nearby Blue Mountain Project - that
recoverable gold remains in situ.

 

During the early stages of production at the Raglan Project, the operating
team will assess and optimise the configuration of mining equipment,
particularly the wash plant. The objective is to maximise daily throughput
while maintaining a high level of gold recovery. The Company's Blue Mountain
Project has been independently tested and demonstrated a recovery rate of
91.7% gold into 0.40% of the mass, and part of the coming work programme will
be aimed at assessing whether Raglan will achieve a comparable recovery rate
performance.

 

Chairman Nick Tulloch and Directors Andrew Scott and Chris Gibbs will be
meeting in Queensland later this week to oversee the initial stages of mining
and production activities at the Raglan Project. During the visit, the Board
members will meet with the operating team, review production progress based on
early grade observations and meet with a prospective off-taker for gold
production from both Raglan and Blue Mountain.

 

This milestone will coincide with exceptionally strong recent precious-metal
prices, with gold currently trading above US$4,988 per ounce and silver having
recently moved through US$100 per ounce, providing a highly favourable market
backdrop as ECR enters its production phase.

 

Overview of the Raglan Project - Commencement of Mining and Production

 

The Raglan Project is a fully permitted, turnkey alluvial gold project located
in central Queensland and held under Mining Lease ML 3665. The project
includes a near-new 60 tonne-per-hour wash plant, gold room, water supply,
accommodation camp and mobile mining fleet, enabling prompt mobilisation and a
low-capex pathway to production.

 

With the operating team secured and all key infrastructure already on site,
Raglan is expected to deliver ECR's initial gold production and near-term
early cashflow. The project also provides a foundation for shared operational
capability and equipment utilisation across the Company's nearby Blue Mountain
alluvial gold project.

 

The Board considers that Raglan's anticipated operating parameters are
consistent with other producing alluvial mines in Queensland, where commercial
production is achieved even at relatively modest grades, particularly in the
current gold price environment.

 

The Company's subsidiary that owns the Raglan Project has been renamed ECR
Minerals (Raglan) Pty Limited, aligning it with the branding of the Company's
other Australian subsidiaries.

 

Portfolio Strategy

 

While the Raglan Project represents ECR's immediate production focus, the
Board's meetings will also encompass strategic planning sessions across the
Company's broader Queensland and Victoria portfolio:

 

·      Blue Mountain - preparations to bring the Blue Mountain gold
project into production are advancing, following strong alluvial drilling
results, visible coarse gold and successful wash-plant trials;

·      Lolworth - a significantly-sized gold-silver project where maiden
drilling provided indications of a broader mineralised system, with silver
emerging as a potential key value driver at current prices; and

·      Other Victoria tenements - assessing targets for prospective
exploration and development activity over the year ahead.

 

ECR Chairman Nick Tulloch commented: "This week will mark an important moment
for ECR. With our operating team secured and a production plan in place,
several members of the Board will be travelling to Queensland to oversee the
implementation of our initial mining operations at Raglan. This represents a
major step forward as the Company transitions from a pure explorer into an
operating gold producer.

 

"Raglan is a rare, turnkey alluvial operation with plant, permits and
infrastructure already in place. Its anticipated operating parameters are
considered to be consistent with other producing alluvial mines in Queensland
and, with gold trading at historically high levels, we believe that the
project has the potential to generate meaningful cashflow in due course.

 

"Importantly, Raglan also provides a strong operational foundation for our
wider Queensland portfolio. Alongside Blue Mountain and the significantly
sized Lolworth project, we believe ECR is well positioned for the year ahead,
and we are excited by what lies ahead as we enter this next phase of the
Company's development."

 

Review of Announcement by Qualified Person

This announcement has been reviewed by Adam Jones, Chief Geologist at ECR
Minerals Plc. Adam Jones is a professional geologist and is a Member of the
Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG). He is a qualified person as that
term is defined by the AIM Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

 

 ECR Minerals Plc                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Tel: +44 (0) 20 8080 8176
 Nick Tulloch, Chairman                                                                                                                                                                                                                             info@ecrminerals.com (mailto:info@ecrminerals.com)

 Andrew Scott, Director

 Website: www.ecrminerals.com
 (http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecrminerals.com%2F&esheet=51817334&newsitemid=20180605005810&lan=en-US&anchor=www.ecrminerals.com&index=1&md5=820ad49dc1fc2c84a0538453c017bc1b)

 Allenby Capital Limited                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Tel: +44 (0) 3328 5656
 Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker                                                                                                                                                                                                                 info@allenbycapital.com (mailto:info@allenbycapital.com)

 Alex Brearley / Nick Naylor / Vivek Bhardwaj (Corporate Finance)

 Kelly Gardiner (Sales and Corporate Broking)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Tel: +44 (0) 3328 5656

 OAK Securities

 Joint Broker

 Jerry Keen / Robert Bell

 Axis Capital Markets Limited                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Tel: +44 (0) 203 026 0320
 Joint Broker
 Lewis Jones

 SI Capital Ltd                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Tel: +44 (0) 1483 413500
 Joint Broker
 Nick Emerson

 Brand Communications                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Tel: +44 (0) 7976 431608
 Public & Investor Relations
 Alan Green

 

ABOUT ECR MINERALS PLC

 

ECR Minerals is a mineral exploration and development company operating
through three wholly owned Australian subsidiaries ECR Minerals (Australia)
Pty Ltd ("ECR Australia"), ECR Minerals (Queensland) Pty Ltd ("ECR
Queensland") and ECR Minerals (Raglan) Pty Ltd ("ECR Raglan").

 

ECR Australia owns the Bailieston and Creswick gold projects in central
Victoria, Australia as well as the Tambo gold project in eastern Victoria.

 

Raglan Resources has a mining lease at the Raglan alluvial gold project in
central Queensland, Australia and ECR Queensland has two approved exploration
permits over the nearby Blue Mountain alluvial gold project.  ECR is
currently working to bring both projects into production.  ECR Queensland
also has three approved exploration permits covering 946 km(2) over a
relatively unexplored area in Lolworth Range in northern Queensland.
Furthermore, it has also submitted a licence application at Kondaparinga which
is approximately 120km(2) in area and located within the Hodgkinson Gold
Province, 80km NW of Mareeba, North Queensland.

 

Following the sale of the Avoca, Moormbool and Timor gold projects in
Victoria, Australia to Fosterville South Exploration Ltd (TSX-V: FSX) and the
subsequent spin-out of the Avoca and Timor projects to Leviathan Gold Ltd
(TSX-V: LVX), ECR Australia has the right to receive up to A$2 million in
payments subject to future resource estimation or production from these
projects.

 

ECR Australia also has approximately A$76 million of unutilised tax losses
incurred during previous operations.

 

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