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Hot Chili Announces PFS & Maiden(1) Mineral Reserve(2) for the Costa Fuego Cu-Au Project

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Top Quartile Copper Production Scale3, Lowest Quartile Capital Intensity Located on the Coastal Range in Chile

PERTH, Australia, March 27, 2025 /CNW/ - Hot Chili Limited (ASX: HCH) (TSXV: HCH) (OTCQX: HHLKF) ("Hot Chili" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of a Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS"), prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") of the Canadian Securities Administrators, for its Costa Fuego copper-gold project (the "Costa Fuego Project" or "Costa Fuego"). All monetary amounts are expressed in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.

PFS Highlights

Globally Meaningful Scale & Multi-Decade Mine Life

  • Project Life Extended to 20 Years

  • Average Annual Production Increased 116 ktpa Average CuEq4 Production Rate: Including 95 kt Cu and 48 koz Au during primary production (first 14 years)

  • Competitive Cost Position: Life of mine (LOM) average C1 Cash Cost5 of US$ 1.38/lb and All-in-Sustaining Cost of US$1.85/lb (both estimated net of by-product credits)

  • Increase in Total Copper and Gold Production: 1.5 Mt Cu (3.31 Blb Cu) and 780 koz Au produced over  the LOM

  • Robust Financial Profile: Total LOM free cash flow of approximately US$3.86 Billion (post-tax, after operating costs, capital costs, and royalties)

  • Significant Risk Reduction: PFS prepared assuming ± 25% accuracy. An additional US$442 million of capital costs applied to significantly reduce key areas of risk, including changes in project scope and inflationary pressures

Strong Economics and Leverage to Rising Copper Price

  • Post-tax Net Present Value (NPV8%) of US$1.2 billion (approximately, within a range of US$786 million to US$1.62 Billion) and post-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 19% (approximately, within a range of 15% to 22%)

  • First Quartile Capital Intensity: Start-up Capital Cost of US$ 1.27 billion delivers a capital intensity of US$ 14,079/t of average annual CuEq. metal produced

  • Highly Leveraged to Copper Price: At current spot copper price of US$5.30/lb6, post-tax NPV8% increases to US$2.2 billion and post-tax IRR to 30%, respectively

Low-Risk, Coastal Copper Development with Advanced Permitting

  • Low Elevation and Over a Decade of Permitting Advance: One of only a few global copper development projects at low elevation with a water permit, and grid power

  • Preparing to submit Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): Costa Fuego Stage-1 (EIA-1) based on current PFS-scale and definition