7 January 2026

ECR MINERALS PLC

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

ECR Minerals' Raglan Project to enter production phase

Raglan operating team secured, initial gold expected this month

ECR Minerals plc (AIM: ECR), the gold exploration and development company focused on Australia, is pleased to announce that the Company has secured an experienced team to commence initial mining operations at its Raglan alluvial gold project in Queensland (the "Raglan Project").

With the operating team secured, and all site infrastructure, wash plant and mobile fleet already onsite, ECR now expects initial gold production before the end of January 2026, marking the Company's transition into a revenue-generating gold producer.

This development follows completion in December 2025 of ECR's acquisition of the Raglan Project, a fully permitted, turnkey alluvial gold mining project.

Highlights

·      Operating team secured and commercial terms agreed, enabling the commencement of mining in the coming weeks

·      First gold production expected before the end of January 2026

·      Raglan Project positioned to provide early cashflow, intended to support in due course ECR's larger Blue Mountain project and the wider Queensland portfolio

·      All key infrastructure, equipment and permits already in place, expected to enable an efficient ramp-up of operations at the Raglan Project

·      Strong gold prices create favourable market conditions for ECR's assets

Background on the Raglan Project

The Raglan Project (ML 3665) is a fully permitted alluvial gold mining operation located in central Queensland, Australia. Recently acquired by ECR Minerals, the Raglan Project includes a near-new 60 tonne-per-hour wash plant, a fully equipped gold room, established water supply, accommodation camp, mobile mining fleet and complete site infrastructure, providing a true turnkey mining solution. Positioned within an established gold-producing district, the Raglan Project potentially offers a low-capex, rapid pathway to production. The Raglan Project is also strategically located close to ECR's Blue Mountain alluvial project, enabling potential operational synergies across the Company's growing Queensland hub.

ECR Chairman, Nick Tulloch, commented: "Securing our operating team is the final major step to bring the Raglan Project into production, and I am thrilled that we can now set a clear expectation of initial gold production before the end of January 2026. This is a pivotal moment in ECR's journey. The Raglan Project gives us a low-capex, near-term route into gold production, and the revenues which we ultimately anticipate should be able to support the development of our broader Queensland portfolio - most notably the much larger Blue Mountain project.

"Momentum across the Company has been pleasing in recent months, from strong maiden drill results at the Lolworth project confirming a gold-silver system, to completing the acquisition of the Raglan Project. With current gold prices sitting at historically high levels, the Raglan Project has the potential to be a profitable project, generating meaningful cashflow in due course that can be reinvested across the business.

"We entered 2026 with confidence and a clear operational plan. I look forward to updating shareholders as we move into production and begin generating cashflow for the first time in ECR's history."

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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 Raglan Resources Pty Ltd ("Raglan Resources").

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 km² over a relatively unexplored area in Lolworth Range in northern Queensland. Furthermore, it has also submitted a licence application at Kondaparinga which is approximately 120km² 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.