Copper Giant Begins Planned Comprehensive PEA for the Mocoa Copper-Molybdenum System with Globally Recognized Development Team
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PEA program launched with a complete, globally recognized technical team. SLR as lead author,
INTERA for hydrogeology and environmental,Frank Wright Consulting andSGS Canada for metallurgy, andAPEX Geoscience for the resource model. The team brings direct experience on major porphyry copper systems and mining projects in theAmericas andColombia . - Multiple development scenarios will be evaluated, including a base case and alternatives considering different project scales, capital requirements, and mining approaches -- providing a range of development pathways to inform the optimal strategy for Mocoa.
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Parallel workstreams already advancing. Metallurgical testing under
Frank Wright andSGS Canada has returned initial recoveries of up to 92% copper and 97% molybdenum (refer to news released datedOctober 2, 2025 ), exceeding the assumptions in the current resource model. APEX is leading the updated MRE1, and three drill rigs continue to operate as part of the fully funded 2026 exploration program. - The PEA scope includes defining the technical work program required to eventually advance toward Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS"). Beyond delivering a NI 43-101 compliant economic assessment, the PEA will identify data gaps, prioritize additional drilling and studies, and establish the roadmap from PEA through to PFS, building a clear, sequenced path to development.
"Our team has taken major copper mines from discovery through to construction -- we know what rigorous independent evaluation looks like, and we know what it takes to build the roadmap from study to development decision. The team we've now assembled applies that standard to Mocoa. The question is no longer whether this system is real. The question is which development pathway creates the most value, and how we get there. This PEA is designed to answer both." --
Strategic Importance
The Mocoa PEA is designed to evaluate the Project's potential development pathways and provide a conceptual economic assessment to support anticipated advancement toward PFS level work. The PEA will assess alternative mining and development scenarios, including scale, sequencing, and infrastructure configurations, to identify a preferred conceptual approach supported by preliminary mine planning, process design, and capital and operating cost estimates. The results are expected to clarify key project drivers and inform decision-making for subsequent study stages. Beyond the economic assessment, the PEA is intended to establish a clear and actionable technical roadmap toward PFS, including identification of critical data gaps, prioritization of drilling targets, and definition of additional metallurgical, geotechnical, hydrogeological, and environmental work required to advance the Project. The Company expects the PEA to serve as the foundation for coordinated technical programs through 2026–2027. The study will be executed through a phased approach designed to deliver defined technical outputs, culminating in a NI 43-101 compliant technical report supported by qualified persons. The PEA is being delivered by an integrated team comprising SLR as Lead Consultant,
In parallel with the PEA, the Company is advancing key technical workstreams, including ongoing resource expansion and conversion drilling, metallurgical variability testing led by
Copper and molybdenum remain critical materials in global electrification, energy infrastructure, and industrial supply chains, with long-term demand growth continuing to highlight the need for new large-scale development projects. The advancement of the PEA follows the Company's recent title integration milestone (refer to news release dated
Anticipated PEA Work Program and Timeline
It is anticipated that the PEA will follow a structured, phased approach:
- Phase 1 – Data Review and Gap Analysis (Q2 2026): Establishment of validated datasets, key study assumptions, and a prioritized work program to address critical technical gaps and support advancement toward PFS.
- Phase 2 – Trade-Off Studies and Initial Design (Q2–Q3 2026): Delivery of comparative development scenarios and identification of a preferred conceptual pathway based on scale, sequencing, capital intensity, and overall project configuration.
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Phase 3 – Integrated Engineering and
Economic Modeling (Q3-2026): Definition of preliminary mine plans, process design criteria, infrastructure layouts, and associated capital and operating cost estimates, supported by an integrated economic model. - Phase 4 – Reporting and Delivery (Q4-2026): Completion of the NI 43-101 compliant PEA technical report, including supporting documentation, sensitivity analyses, and recommendations for advancement to PFS.
The Company is targeting completion of the PEA in the second half of 2026, with flexibility to incorporate results from the ongoing 2026 drilling program and parallel metallurgical and environmental workstreams.
Qualified Person and Technical Notes
Mocoa's Mineral Resource Estimate1 comprises Inferred resource of 12.7 billion pounds (Blbs) copper-equivalent (CuEq*) at an average grade of 0.51% CuEq*, including 7.7 Blbs of copper at 0.31% Cu and 1.0 Blbs of molybdenum at 0.039% Mo, within 1,120 million tonnes (Mt). Copper equivalent (CuEq) for drill hole interceptions is calculated as: CuEq (%) = Cu (%) + 5.278 × Mo (%), utilizing metal prices of Cu -
Inferred Mineral Resources are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. There is no certainty that all or any part of the Inferred Mineral Resources will be upgraded to an Indicated or Measured category. The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves.
1 Notes on the MRE of the Project
- The MRE was completed by
Kevin Hon ,B.Sc .,P.Geo ., Senior Resource Geologist, andWarren Black ,M.Sc .,P.Geo ., Senior Consultant: Mineral Resources and Geostatistics, both of APEX.Mr. Hon andMr. Black are independent Qualified Persons, as defined by NI 43-101, and are responsible for the completion of the Mineral Resource Estimate, with an effective date ofNovember 18, 2025 .Michael Dufresne ,M.Sc .,P.Geo ., President & CEO of APEX, completed a peer review of the estimate. - Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
- The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues.
- The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could potentially be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration.
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The Mineral Resources were estimated in accordance with theCanadian Institute of Mining , Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions (2014) and Best Practices Guidelines (2019) prepared by theCIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by theCIM Council . - Economic assumptions used include
US$4.00 /lb Cu,US$20.00 /lb Mo, process recoveries of 90% for Cu and 95% for Mo, aUS$10 /t processing cost, G&A costs ofUS$1.00 /t, and a 3% NSR royalty - CuEq* values are calculated using a Cu-to-Mo value ratio of 1:5.278, incorporating both metal prices and metallurgical recoveries.
- The constraining pit optimization parameters include a
US$2.5 /t mining cost for both mineralized and waste material and 45° slopes. Pit-constrained Mineral Resources are reported at a cutoff of 0.25% CuEq*.
About
SLR is a global mining advisory and environmental consulting firm with over 2,000 professionals operating in more than 28 countries. Through its Mining Advisory group, SLR provides integrated technical services across the project lifecycle, including economic studies, mine design, process development, infrastructure planning, and technical reporting. SLR has extensive experience delivering Preliminary Economic Assessments, Pre-Feasibility Studies, and Feasibility Studies for large-scale porphyry copper systems and other bulk-tonnage deposits. Recent work includes major projects in the
About
About the Mocoa Porphyry System
Mocoa was first identified in 1973 through a regional geochemical survey conducted by the
The deposit is hosted in Middle Jurassic dacite and quartz-diorite porphyries intruding andesitic to dacitic volcanics of the Central Cordillera, a 30-kilometre-wide tectonic belt that extends into
A distinguishing geological feature of Mocoa is the presence of a fertile magmatic window spanning roughly ten million years, a prolonged and unusually productive interval of magma generation and evolution that is not commonly observed in other Jurassic porphyry systems within the same belt. This extended fertile period provides a compelling explanation for the system's large metal endowment, broad alteration footprint, and overlapping intrusive and hydrothermal events.
The deposit demonstrates more than 1,000 metres of vertical continuity, with multiple intrusive phases, brecciation episodes, and vein generations reflecting a dynamic and long-lived magmatic–hydrothermal evolution, likely influenced by more than one porphyry center. Mocoa remains open in all directions, and several satellite targets across the broader land package support the interpretation of a district-scale mineralized system.
Mocoa's Mineral Resource Estimate1 comprises Inferred resources of 12.7 billion pounds (Blbs) copper-equivalent (CuEq*) at an average grade of 0.51% CuEq*, including 7.7 Blbs of copper at 0.31% Cu and 1.0 Blbs of molybdenum at 0.039% Mo, within 1,120 million tonnes (Mt).
1
For further information refer to NI 43-101 Technical Report, entitled "Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for
About Copper Giant
The Company is led by a team with uncommon experience, having successfully taken some of the few major copper mines developed in the past two decades from discovery through to construction.
Copper Giant's current focus is the Mocoa copper-molybdenum deposit in southern Colombia, one of the largest undeveloped resources of its kind in the
Guided by the values of respect and responsibility, and grounded in its Good Neighbor philosophy, Copper Giant is committed to creating enduring values for all stakeholders and playing a meaningful role in the global energy transition.
Neither the
This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, including, but not limited to: the timing, completion, and outcomes of the PEA; evaluation of development scenarios; advancement and timing toward Pre-Feasibility Study; future results of ongoing metallurgical testing; timing and results of mineral resource updates and the anticipated PEA work program and timeline; and the Company's broader exploration and development activities at the
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