Pacific Empire closes $4.5M private placement with $2.7M lead orders

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 17, 2026) - Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. (TSXV: PEMC) ("Pacific Empire", "PEMC" or the "Company"), a British Columbia copper-gold explorer, announces that it intends to issue, pursuant to a non-brokered private placement, up to 46,153,846 Flow-Through shares of the Company ("FT Shares") at a price of C$0.065 per FT Share for gross proceeds of up to $3,000,000 and up to 25,000,000 common shares of the Company ("Shares") at a price of C$0.06 per Share for gross proceeds of up to $1,500,000 for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $4,500,000 (collectively, the "Offering"). The Company is pleased to report that it has secured significant lead orders totaling $2,700,000 from resource-focused institutional investors and high net worth investors. Proceeds from the Offering will be used to fund the Company's 2026 drill campaign on its flagship Trident and adjacent Pinnacle copper-gold-silver porphyry projects, and for general working capital.

Closing of the Offering is subject to all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Brad Peters, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Securing $2.7 million in lead orders at this stage reflects growing confidence from experienced resource investors in the scale and potential of the Trident-Pinnacle system. With multiple high-priority targets remaining untested, we believe 2026 will be a pivotal year for Pacific Empire." About Pacific Empire Pacific Empire is a copper exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol PEMC.

The Company has a district scale land position in north-central British Columbia totaling 22,541 hectares. British Columbia is a "Green" copper jurisdiction with abundant hydroelectric power, access and infrastructure in close proximity to the end market. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, "Brad Peters" President and Chief Executive Officer Pacific Empire Minerals Corp. Tel: +1-604-356-6246 brad@pemcorp.ca www.pemcorp.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions.

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation: Closing of the Offering is subject to all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the funds will be used for exploration on its flagship Trident copper-gold-silver project and for general working purposes, are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mineral exploration; fluctuations in commodity prices; title matters; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain officers, directors or promoters with certain other projects; the absence of dividends; competition; dilution; the volatility of our common share price and volume and the additional risks identified the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations.

Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US NEWSWIRE SERVICES NOR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/293043 Source: Pacific Empire Minerals Corp.