Construction advancing at Montauban as Company evaluates broader tailings pipeline across the Americas

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / August 7, 2025 / ESGold Corp. ("ESGold" or the "Company") (CSE:ESAU)(OTCQB:ESAUF)(FSE:Z7D), a clean gold and silver development company, is pleased to provide an update on its scalable growth strategy, rooted in a replicable tailings-first development model designed to deliver near-term production, fund exploration internally, and minimize environmental impact across legacy mine sites in the Americas.

Key Highlights

• ESGold advancing construction of its fully permitted Montauban Project in Quebec, with near-term gold and silver production from tailings on track for 2026

• Recent passive seismic imaging confirms possible district-scale geology at Montauban, validating exploration upside alongside cash-flow potential

• Company actively evaluating legacy tailings opportunities across North and South America to replicate its clean, high-margin production model

• Tailings reprocessing represents a largely untapped multi-billion-dollar opportunity across over 500,000 historic mining sites in North America alone

• Scalable, low-capex approach offers a more efficient path to cash flow and discovery than traditional "explore, raise, dilute" models.

• Strategy aligns with market appetite for clean, short-term cash-generating assets in the resource sector

Construction at the Company's flagship Montauban Project in Quebec is well underway, with initial production from gold- and silver-bearing tailings targeted for 2026. While tailings reprocessing will serve as a cash-generating engine for ESGold, recent passive seismic and academic findings have possibly confirmed the presence of a deeper, vertically extensive mineralized system. With more than 2,500 metres of strike length and over 1,200 metres of vertical continuity now interpreted through advanced Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) imaging, Montauban is emerging as a highly prospective, multi-lens, possible district-scale gold-silver system.

"There's an enormous untapped economic and environmental opportunity here," added Paul Mastantuono, COO and Chairman. "With permitting in place and construction advancing at Montauban, we're proving that sustainable, scalable, clean mining is not only possible - it's happening. We're turning tailings into a potential resource and using that foundation to explore for something much bigger."

This dual opportunity-clean, low-cost production with possible district-scale exploration upside-is the foundation of ESGold's growth strategy.

A Scalable Opportunity Across the Americas

Legacy tailings sites represent one of the most overlooked opportunities in modern mining. According to U.S. environmental data, there are more than 500,000 abandoned mine sites in North America, many of which contain unevaluated tailings piles with residual precious and base metals. In South America, the number is even larger, as decades of small- to mid-scale mining operations have left behind extensive tailings volumes across gold-rich regions of Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Chile.

Most of these sites have never undergone systematic exploration, modern mineralogical analysis, or high-resolution geophysics. They also carry legacy environmental liabilities for landowners, municipalities, and governments - liabilities ESGold's model is uniquely positioned to solve.

ESGold is currently evaluating tailings projects in multiple jurisdictions with the intent to replicate its Montauban blueprint: low-capex processing of tailings to generate cash flow, which is then used to fund high-quality exploration and development activities. This model, once proven at Montauban, is designed to scale quickly across jurisdictions.

"The traditional exploration model has eroded more capital than it's created," said Gordon Robb, CEO of ESGold Corp. "Our approach reverses that equation. We begin with production - monetizing what others left behind - then reinvest from a position of strength into exploration. Montauban is our proof-of-concept. We believe this model can scale to dozens, even hundreds of other tailings sites across the Americas and elsewhere."

What's Next for ESGold

• Construction continues at Montauban with initial tailings production anticipated in 2026

• 3D geological model incorporating ANT data, historic drilling, and structural interpretation is underway to refine drill targets

• Concentrate assays from pre-production sampling are pending and expected to be released shortly

• The Company is evaluating expansion opportunities across North and South America to replicate its production-first development model

• Updated Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) expected to reflect current commodity prices, revised inputs, and enhanced project economics

A Smarter, Cleaner Growth Path for Mining

ESGold's business model aligns with what institutional capital increasingly demands from the resource sector: scalable, predictable cash flow and responsible development. In contrast to traditional resource companies that rely on speculative exploration, repetitive dilution, and decade-long development timelines, the Company's strategy puts production first - creating revenue, reducing risk, and unlocking discovery potential along the way.

As global attention turns to modernizing mining practices and cleaning up the sector's legacy, ESGold is positioned at the intersection of economic performance and environmental responsibility. With Montauban leading the way, the Company is actively seeking to build a replicable platform to clean up yesterday's mines, produce today's cash flow, and unlock tomorrow's discoveries.

Qualified Person Statement

The technical content of this release has been reviewed and approved by André Gauthier, P.Geo. and P. Eng, a Director of ESGold and Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Other Corporate News

In other Company business, the Board of Directors is pleased to announce the issuance to consultants and officer of 1.85 million options to purchase one (1) ESGold common share for a price of $1.36 for a period of five (5) years. The issuance of these options is subject to regulatory vesting provisons and subject to approval from the CSE.

About ESGold Corp.
ESGold Corp. (CSE: ESAU | OTCQB: ESAUF | FSE: Z7D) is a fully permitted, pre-production gold and silver mining company at the forefront of scalable clean mining and exploration innovation. With proven expertise in Quebec, the Company is advancing its Montauban Gold-Silver Project toward near-term production while unlocking long-term value through strategic redevelopment, modern discovery tools, and sustainable resource recovery. Montauban, located 80 km west of Quebec City, represents a blueprint for cash-flow-generating legacy site redevelopment across North America.

For more information, please contact ESGold Corp. at +1-888-370-1059 or visit esgold.com for additional resources, including a French version of this press release, past news releases, a 3D model of the Montauban processing plant, media interviews, and opinion-editorial pieces.

Stay connected by following us on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and joining our Telegram channel.

For further information or to connect directly, please reach out to Gordon Robb, CEO of ESGold Corp. at gordon@esgold.com or call 250-217-2321.

On behalf of the Board of Directors
ESGold Corp.
"Paul Mastantuono"
Chairman & COO
info@esgold.com
+1-888-370-1059

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding future production, cash flow, exploration results, project economics, and permitting. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that management believes are current but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These risks are detailed in the Company's public filings on SEDAR+. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. ESGold disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, except as required by law.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: ESGold Corp.