Primary Hydrogen Commences 1,500-metre Maiden Drill Program at Wicheeda North Targeting Northwest-Trending Rare Earth Soil Anomaly

Primary Hydrogen begins first-ever drilling at Wicheeda North, targeting rare earth anomalies.

What the company is saying

Primary Hydrogen Corp. (TSXV:HDRO, FSE:83W, OTCQB:HNATF) is announcing the start of its maiden drill program at the Wicheeda North rare earth element project in British Columbia. The company frames this as a technically rigorous, data-driven milestone, highlighting that this is the first drilling in the property's history and is based on two years of systematic soil sampling and airborne geophysical surveys. CEO David Jackson emphasizes the deliberate approach—surveying, sampling, and permitting before drilling—and sets expectations for completion within about four weeks. The release details the technical process, including the number of samples, survey coverage, and QA/QC protocols, and names Radius Drilling Corp. as the drilling contractor and Tripoint Geological Services Ltd. as the supervising geologist. The company is careful to clarify that soil anomalies are not direct measures of bedrock grade, and it openly discusses alternative geological interpretations. The tone is measured, focusing on operational progress and technical credibility rather than promotional language.

What the data suggests

The company has initiated a 1,500-metre diamond drilling program across approximately seven holes, each about 300 metres, at Wicheeda North. This follows the collection of 1,131 soil samples in 2026, split between two phases: Phase 1 returned 11 of 439 samples (2.5%) above 300 ppm total rare earth elements plus yttrium (TRE+Y), with a maximum of 484.69 ppm; Phase 2 returned 37 of 692 samples (5.3%) above 300 ppm, including a single high of 932.21 ppm. The southwestern grid in Phase 2 produced 24 of the 37 samples above 300 ppm and is under evaluation for future drilling. An airborne geophysical survey covered 745 line-kilometres at 50-metre spacing over a 33.6 square kilometre block. QA/QC included 22 pulp blanks and 19 field duplicates, with all duplicates agreeing within 20% and 18 within 10%. The property consists of nine contiguous mineral claims totaling 2,138 hectares, with an option for the company to acquire a 75% interest. Permitting allows drilling at up to 70 sites through 2031, and the current program is fully funded from existing treasury. No mineral resource has been estimated, and all assay results from drilling are pending.

Analysis

The announcement is factual and proportionate, detailing the commencement of the first-ever drilling program at Wicheeda North, supported by specific technical data from recent soil sampling and airborne surveys. The majority of claims are realised and evidenced by concrete operational milestones: drilling has begun, soil and geophysical data are disclosed, and QA/QC procedures are described. Only a small fraction of the language is forward-looking, such as evaluating future drill targets, but these are clearly identified as potential next steps rather than imminent or guaranteed outcomes. The program is fully funded from existing treasury, so there is no indication of a large, unfunded capital outlay or long-dated, uncertain returns. As an exploration-stage update, the absence of revenue or profit metrics is normal and not a deficiency. The tone is positive but not exaggerated, and all technical claims are substantiated by disclosed data.

Risk flags

• ●There is no guarantee that the soil and geophysical anomalies correspond to economically significant rare earth mineralization in bedrock; the company itself notes alternative explanations such as glacial transport or enrichment in host rocks, which could result in disappointing drill results.
• ●All assay results from the current drill program are pending, so investors face uncertainty about whether the drilling will yield grades or widths sufficient to justify further work or a resource estimate.
• ●The company holds only an option to acquire a 75% interest in the property, not full ownership, and must continue to meet the terms of that option agreement to secure its stake.
• ●No mineral resource has been estimated for Wicheeda North, so there is no basis for assessing project scale, grade, or economic viability at this stage.
• ●The technical success of the program is dependent on external contractors (Radius Drilling Corp., Tripoint Geological Services Ltd., ALS Canada Ltd.), and any operational or analytical delays could affect timelines and data quality.

Bottom line

Primary Hydrogen Corp. has moved from surface exploration to active drilling at Wicheeda North, targeting rare earth anomalies identified through recent soil and geophysical work. The technical disclosure is detailed and transparent, but all value hinges on pending drill assays—no resource, grade, or economic data is available yet. The company is fully funded for this phase and holds a five-year permit for up to 70 drill sites, but only has an option to acquire a 75% interest. The risk that anomalies do not translate to economic mineralization is openly acknowledged. Investors should focus on the upcoming assay results as the next catalyst; until then, this is a technically credible but high-uncertainty exploration step.

Announcement summary

(TSXV:HDRO) (FSE:83W) (OTCQB:HNATF) Primary Hydrogen Corp. has commenced drilling at its Wicheeda North rare earth element project in British Columbia, marking the first drilling in the property's history. The current program consists of approximately 1,500 metres of diamond drilling in about seven holes, each roughly 300 metres, targeting a northwest-trending rare earth element anomaly identified through 2026 soil sampling and a September 2026 airborne radiometric survey. Drilling is being conducted by Radius Drilling Corp. and supervised by Tripoint Geological Services Ltd., with samples to be assayed by ALS Canada Ltd. in North Vancouver, British Columbia. The Phase 1 soil program collected 439 samples, with 11 samples (2.5%) exceeding 300 ppm total rare earth elements plus yttrium (TRE+Y), and a maximum value of 484.69 ppm. The Phase 2 soil program collected 692 samples, with 37 samples (5.3%) exceeding 300 ppm TRE+Y, including a single sample of 932.21 ppm in the eastern grid and the next highest at 459.9 ppm. The southwestern grid in Phase 2 returned 24 of the 37 samples above 300 ppm and is being evaluated as a potential target for future drilling. In total, 1,131 soil samples were collected in 2026. The airborne geophysical survey covered 745 line-kilometres at 50-metre spacing over a 33.6 square kilometre block. Quality assurance included 22 pulp blanks and 19 field duplicates, with all 19 duplicate pairs agreeing within 20% and 18 within 10%. Wicheeda North comprises nine contiguous mineral claims totaling 2,138 hectares (21.1 square kilometres), with the company holding an option to acquire a 75% interest. The property is permitted for surface drilling at up to 70 sites under a five-year Mines Act permit expiring in 2031, and the 2026 drill program is fully funded from existing treasury. David Jackson is Chief Executive Officer of Primary Hydrogen Corp. Darcy Vis, B.Sc., P.Geo., President of Tripoint Geological Services Ltd., reviewed and approved the technical information. Primary Hydrogen also holds natural hydrogen projects in Alberta, Ontario, Canada, and the United States.

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