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Cerrado Gold Reports 21% Year-Over-Year Increase in Q3 2026 Production Results at Minera Don Nicolas

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Cerrado Gold Reports 21% Year-Over-Year Increase in Q3 2026 Production Results at Minera Don Nicolas

 

 

 

 

 

  • Strong Production of 16,685 Gold Equivalent Ounces for the 3rd Quarter 2026, up 21% from Q3/25
  • Production of 44,942 GEO Year-to-Date
  • Exploration is ongoing, with a key focus now on the Falcon property to support resource growth for a new Preliminary Economic Assessment targeted for late Q1 2027
  • Full-year 2026 production is now expected at the upper end of annual guidance of 50,000 to 60,000 GEO

 

Cerrado Gold Inc. [TSX-V: CERT] [OTCQX: CRDOF] reports production results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2026 from the Minera Don Nicolas Mine in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. Full quarterly financial results are expected to be released prior to November 23, 2026.

 

Q3 Operating Highlights

  • Q3 production of 16,685 GEO, up 21% from 13,832 GEO in Q3 2025. Year-to-date production of 44,942 GEO, up 23% from 36,432 GEO in the comparable 2025 period
  • Heap leach production remained steady at 9,649 GEO in the quarter, similar to Q2 2026
  • CIL production increased to 7,036 GEO in Q3, primarily driven by the selective routing of high-grade Calandrias feed to the Martinetas mill rather than the heap leach pad

 

Operations in Q3 2026 delivered continued strong production, reflecting improvements completed over the past year. Heap leach operations continued to benefit from the resolution of prior irrigation issues and improvements to the crushing circuit. The new crushing plant is undergoing commissioning and is expected to support increased feed delivery to the pad. The new tailings dam is now operating and provides approximately five years of capacity at planned operating rates. The new heap leach pad is expected to be completed by late Q1 2027 and will provide 12 million tonnes of additional capacity.

 

Higher gold prices have enabled MDN to incorporate additional low-grade material into the heap leach feed, improving resource utilization. At the same time, selected high-grade Calandrias material originally earmarked for the pad has been redirected to the Martinetas CIL mill to achieve higher recoveries. This material therefore contributes to CIL production rather than heap leach production, and performance should be considered across the combined operation.

 

Selected high-grade material from Calandrias, generally above 2.5 g/t gold, was transported to Martinetas for CIL processing rather than placing it on the heap leach pad. Routing decisions are supported by laboratory bottle-roll testing on milled samples, with some selected material achieving gold recoveries of up to 95%, compared with approximately 60% expected through heap leaching as outlined in the current NI 43-101 technical report for MDN. These are laboratory results for selected material, rather than overall plant recovery. The additional gold recovered provides an economic benefit, even after accounting for higher processing and transportation costs.

 

The focus on underground development continued during the quarter, with higher amounts of fresh feed becoming available toward quarter-end. Additional underground mineralized material is expected in Q4 2026, supporting increased production in the second half of 2026 compared with the first half. Underground operations continue to alternate between development and feed extraction as the workings follow the mineralized material zone deeper beneath the Paloma pit.

 

Cerrado is now expecting to be at the high end of its annual guidance range of 50,000 to 60,000 GEO.

 

Table 1. Key Operating Information

 

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Key Operating Information
    2024 2025 2025 2026 2026
Operating Data Unit Jan to Dec Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Q3 2025 Q4 2025 Jan to Dec Q1 2026 Q2 2026 Q3 2026 Jan to Sept
Heap Leach Operations                      
Ore Mined ktonnes 1,280   659   550   759   816   2,784   785   832   1,150   2,768  
Waste Mined ktonnes 3,215   1,024   998   1,001   1,131   4,155   984   1,082   1,116   3,182  
Total Mined ktonnes 4,494   1,683   1,549   1,760   1,947   6,939   1,769   1,914   2,266   5,949  
Strip ratio waste/ore 2.51   1.56   1.81   1.32   1.39   1.49   1.25   1.30   0.97   1.15  
Mining rate tpd 12,313   18,699   17,207   19,133   21,166   19,063   19,656   21,035   24,630   21,792  
                       
Ore PAD Feed Ktonnes 1,538   693   724   793   863   3,073   801   810   905   2,516  
Head Grade Au g/t 0.73   0.80   0.86   0.     .79   0.81   0.85   0.84   0.89   0.86  
Head Grade Ag g/t 10.41   15.95   12.13   11.68   13.59   13.29   12.22   4.96   9.01   8.73  
Recovery Au % 34%   39%   37%   47%   32%   39%   33%   39%   33%   35%  
Recovery Ag % 10%   8%   15%   24%   16%   16%   26%   76%   31%   37%  
                       
PAD Throughput tpd 4,214   7,700   7,953   8,621   9,380   7,700   8,904   8,897   9,945   9,250  
Gold ounces produced oz 12,277   6,897   7,442   9,605   6,982   30,926   7,257   8,437   8,453   24,146  
Silver equivalent ounces produced oz 633   331   422   824   856   2,432   1,530   1,544   1,196   4,269  
Gold Geo Produced oz 12,911   7,228   7,864   10,429   7,838   33,358   8,787   9,981   9,649   28,417  
High Grade CIL Operations                      
Ore Mined ktonnes 218   11   –   –   28   39   16   23   24   64  
Waste Mined ktonnes 5,027   60   –   –   28   88   22   21   24   67  
Total Mined ktonnes 5,245   71   –   –   56   127   39   44   48   131  
Strip ratio waste/ore 23.08   5.23       1.00   2.22   1.36   0.88   1.00   1.05  
Mining rate tpd 14,369   788   –   –   611   349   430   485   525   480.11  
                       
Ore Milled Ktonnes 348   92   97   93   93   374   102   100   101   302  
Head Grade Au g/t 3.99   1.51   1.18   1.31   2.15   1.53   1.34   1.53   2.29   1.72  
Head Grade Ag g/t 9.49   6.44   9.71   7.98   16.66   10.     .38   11.15   11.63   10.38  
Recovery Au % 90%   92%   84%   86%   86%   87%   89%   90%   90%   89%  
Recovery Ag % 59%   54%   62%   55%   52%   55%   52%   64%   70%   63%  
                       
Mill Throughput tpd 952   1,017   1,076   1,006   1,009   1,027   1,131   1,096   1,093   1,107  
Gold ounces produced oz 40,861   3,821   3,378   3,253   5,626   16,078   3,740   5,079   6,607   15,426  
Silver equivalent ounces produced oz 722   115   195   150   342   802   315   355   430   1,099  
Gold Geo Produced oz 41,583   3,936   3,573   3,403   5,968   16,880   4,055   5,434   7,036   16,525  
Consolidated Gold Production                      
Gold Geo Produced oz 54,494   11,163   11,437   13,832   13,806   50,238   12,842   15,415   16,685   44,942  
Gold Geo Sold oz 52,058   11,468   10,886   12,896   13,627   48,877   12,415   15,537   16,187   44,139  
Average realized price per gold ounce sold $/oz 2,226   2,520   2,684   3,182   3,401   2,970   4,235   4,184   4,256   4,231  
                       

Note: Gold Equivalent Ounces calculated as Gold Ounces + (Silver ounces x Silver price)/Gold price

 

Mark Brennan, CEO and Chairman, commented, “We are very pleased to see continued strong operational performance at MDN, with both CIL and Heap Leach operations performing exceptionally. We continue to generate strong cash flows that support our key growth initiatives to extend mine life and increase production as we move forward. We are currently positioning the Company to combine the results from our ongoing exploration programs and the expected resource growth from our recent regional acquisitions to complete a new Preliminary Economic Assessment by the end of Q1 2027. The primary objective will be delivering a new consolidated mine plan with an extended mine life and an increased production profile.”

 

Preliminary Economic Assessment Progressing

 

As the Company continues to advance its exploration program at MDN and drills out the potential resources from the recently acquired Falcon and Calandrias II properties, the Company continues with its plans to complete a new, third-party, independent Preliminary Economic Assessment by late Q1 2027. The Preliminary Economic Assessment is expected to incorporate resources anticipated to be outlined for both heap leach production and production via the CIL plant. The objective of the new PEA is to demonstrate the anticipated growth in MDN’s mineral resource base, the corresponding extension in mine life, and the potential to increase production rates. Over the last two years, MDN has invested heavily in creating twin production streams via both the CIL and heap leach production routes. The CIL and heap leach facilities provide flexibility to process both high- and low-grade material through the most suitable route, based on metallurgical performance and economics. Combined with surface and underground mining capability, this allows MDN to draw on multiple feed sources and optimize the overall production mix.

 

Exploration work continued throughout the quarter across the existing property and in the recently acquired Falcon area. Sampling and mapping have been initiated, and diamond drilling has commenced in these new areas. Given the extent of existing drilling and the level of work completed at Falcon and other areas to date, the planned drill program is intended to test the potential to add mineral resources to support the expansion of heap leach operations. The Company expects to complete the drill program and associated testing is expected before year-end to be included in the PEA. Exploration drilling will continue thereafter. Further regional consolidation remains a key corporate strategy objective.

 

Review of Technical Information

 

The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Andrew Croal, P.Eng., Chief Technical Officer for Cerrado Gold, who is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101.

 

About Cerrado

 

Cerrado Gold is a Toronto-based gold production, development, and exploration company. The Company is the 100% owner of the producing Minera Don Nicolás and Las Calandrias mines in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. In Portugal, the Company holds an 80% interest in the highly prospective Lagoa Salgada VMS project through its position in Redcorp – Empreendimentos Mineiros, Lda. In Canada, Cerrado Gold is developing its 100% owned Mont Sorcier Iron project located outside of Chibougamau, Quebec.

 

In Argentina, Cerrado is maximizing asset value at its Minera Don Nicolas (“MDN”) operation through continued operational optimization and is growing production through its operations at the Las Calandrias heap leach project. An extensive campaign of exploration is ongoing to further unlock potential resources in our highly prospective land package in the heart of the Deseado Massif.

 

In Portugal, Cerrado is focused on the development and exploration of the highly prospective Lagoa Salgada VMS project located on the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt in Portugal. The Lagoa Salgada project is a high-grade polymetallic project, demonstrating a typical mineralization endowment of zinc, copper, lead, tin, silver, and gold. Extensive exploration upside potential lies both near the deposit and at prospective step-out targets across the large 7,209-hectare property concession. Located just 80km from Lisbon and surrounded by existing infrastructure, Lagoa Salgada offers a low-cost entry to a significant development and exploration opportunity, already showing its mineable scale and cash flow generation potential.

 

In Canada, Cerrado is developing its 100% owned Mont Sorcier high-purity, high-grade, Direct Reduced Iron project, located on the traditional Cree territory of Eeyou Istchee James Bay in the municipality of Chibougamau. The Mont Sorcier project has the potential to produce a premium iron concentrate over a long mine life at low operating costs and low capital intensity. Furthermore, its high-grade and high-purity product facilitates the migration of steel producers from blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces, contributing to the decarbonization of the industry and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

 

Posted October 19, 2026

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