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Hot Chili Quarterly Report

In This Article:

Period Ending 31 March 2025

PERTH, Australia, April 24, 2025 /CNW/ -

Highlights

Hot Chili Announces Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) & Maiden1 Ore Reserve2 for the Costa Fuego Cu-Au Project

  • Low-risk, Chilean coastal copper development with advanced permitting - multi-decade mine life, top quartile copper production scale3 and lowest quartile capital intensity

  • 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%)

  • Maiden ore reserve for Costa Fuego Copper-Gold Project (Costa Fuego) lowers operational risk1,2:

    • Probable Ore Reserves of 502 Mt at 0.37% Cu, 0.10 g/t Au, 0.49 g/t Ag and 97 ppm Mo:  Across sulphide concentrator, oxide leach and low-grade sulphide leach processing streams

Hot Chili Announces PFS for Huasco Water & MOU for Seawater Supply to Costa Fuego

  • Strong economics for a large, multi-user, water business opportunity

  • Stage 1 PFS4  for 500L/s of potential seawater supply to Costa Fuego

    • Post-tax NPV8% of US$122 million and IRR of 19%

  • Staged approach for regional, desalinated water supply with large 4,000 L/s catchment of potential off-takers

  • Stage 2 PFS for 1,300 L/s of potential desalinated water supply

    • Post-tax NPV8% of US$977 million and IRR of 19%

  • First-Mover Advantage, only active maritime licence in the Huasco Valley region of Chile

Hot Chili Confirms Major Cu-Au Porphyry Discovery at La Verde

  • Multiple new significant drill intersections underpin rapidly growing oxide and sulphide discovery, located 30km south of Costa Fuego, providing significant potential for front-end, open pit, mine life growth

  • Phase 1 drill programme completed on 10 April 2025, phase 2 planned and awaiting regulatory approval

  • Assay results for nineteen holes pending and second Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) commenced to integrate La Verde into Costa Fuego and materially enhance project economics

A$7.5M Cash and A$5.0M in Returns Expected (VAT and JV recoup)

  • Expenditure reduced by 60% to 65% over next six months during Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) planning & PFS optimisation phases

Potential Strategic Funding Discussions Advancing

  • Strong interest in asset-level investment opportunities for Costa Fuego and Huasco Water

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1 Hot Chili previously released Ore Reserves for Productora, a component of Costa Fuego, in the ASX announcement 'Hot Chili Delivers PFS and Near Doubles Reserves at Productora' 2 March 2016. Maiden Ore Reserve for Cortadera and San Antonio and Alice deposits, and updated Ore Reserve for Productora and as a whole Costa Fuego.

2 Hot Chili is a dual listed entity and complies with the JORC 2012 code for the ASX for the reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. The company complies with CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (10 May 2014) that are incorporated by reference into NI 43-101 for the TSXV. Terminology of Ore Reserves and Mineral Reserves are interchangeable and have the same meaning within this announcement.

3 S&P Market Intelligence. The Global Developer Peer Group of project studies were selected on the following basis: Global primary copper projects (not controlled by a major miner), with net by-product credits where applicable, reporting studies of average annual life-of-mine copper production of greater than 40 kt, which have been published within the last 5 years.

4 The Huasco Water Supply PFS has been aligned with the preliminary feasibility study for the Company's Costa Fuego project (the "Costa Fuego PFS") and shares the same assumptions for Costa Fuego in stage 1. See announcement dated 27th March 2025 "Hot Chili Announces PFS & Maiden Mineral Reserve for the Costa Fuego Cu-Au Project" outlining the results of the Costa Fuego PFS. An independent technical report for the Costa Fuego PFS, prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and JORC Code 20212 within 45 days thereof.

Drilling operations continued at La Verde during the quarter, located 30km south of Costa Fuego in coastal Chile (CNW Group/Hot Chili Limited)
Drilling operations continued at La Verde during the quarter, located 30km south of Costa Fuego in coastal Chile (CNW Group/Hot Chili Limited)

Cautionary Statement – JORC Code (2012)

The Preliminary Economic Assessment referred to in this Report is equivalent to a Scoping Study under JORC Code (2012) reporting guidelines.  It has been undertaken for the purpose of initial evaluation of a potential development of the Costa Fuego Copper Project in Chile. It is a preliminary technical and economic study of the potential viability of the Costa Fuego Copper Project. The PEA outcomes, production target and forecast financial information referred to in the Report are based on low level technical and economic assessments that are insufficient to support estimation of Ore Reserves. The PEA is presented in US dollars to an accuracy level of +/- 35%. While each of the modifying factors was considered and applied, there is no certainty of eventual conversion to Ore Reserves or that the production target itself will be realised. Further exploration and evaluation and appropriate studies are required before Hot Chili will be in a position to estimate any Ore Reserves or to provide any assurance of any economic development case. Given the uncertainties involved, investors should not make any investment decisions based solely on the results of the PEA.


Of the Mineral Resources scheduled for extraction in the PEA production plan, approximately 99% are classified as Indicated and 1% as Inferred. The Company has concluded that it has reasonable grounds for disclosing a production target which includes a small amount of Inferred Mineral Resources, as permitted under the JORC Code. There is a low level of geological confidence associated with Inferred Mineral Resources and there is no certainty that further exploration work will result in the determination of Indicated Mineral Resources or that the production target itself will be realised. The viability of the development scenario envisaged in the PEA does not depend on the inclusion of Inferred Mineral Resources. However, it is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Measured or Indicated Mineral Resource with continued drilling.


The Mineral Resources underpinning the production target in the PEA have been prepared by a competent person in accordance with the requirements of the JORC 2012. For full details on the Mineral Resource estimate, please refer to the ASX announcement of 31 March 2022. The Mineral Resource Estimate update released in February 2024 does not materially change the Mineral Resource inventory that formed the basis of the 2023 PEA, and no new scientific or technical information has been developed that would materially affect the outcome of the 2023 PEA and, therefore, the results and conclusions of the 2023 PEA are considered current and have been restated for this Report.


To achieve the outcomes indicated in the PEA, including reaching Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS"), mine construction and production stages, funding in the order of US$1.10 Billion will be required, including pre-production and working capital and assumed financing charges. Investors should note that that there is no certainty that Hot Chili will be able to raise that amount of funding when needed. One of the key assumptions is that the funding for the Project will be available when required and on acceptable terms. It is also possible that such funding may only be available on terms that may be dilutive to, or otherwise affect the value of, Hot Chili's existing shares. It is also possible that Hot Chili could pursue other value realisation strategies such as debt financing, a sale or partial sale of its interest in the Costa Fuego Copper Project and/or Huasco Water, sale of further royalties and/or streaming rights, sale of non-committed offtake rights, and sale of non-core assets.


This Report contains forward-looking statements. Hot Chili has concluded that it has a reasonable basis for providing these forward-looking statements and believes it has a reasonable basis to expect it will be able to fund development of the Costa Fuego Copper Project. However, a number of factors could cause actual results or expectations to differ materially from the results expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Given the uncertainties involved, investors should not make any investment decisions based solely of the results of the PEA.

SUMMARY OF OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Costa Fuego PFS Delivered On-Time & Within Guidance

The Costa Fuego PFS was announced on 27th March 2025. The PFS delivered globally meaningful scale and a multi-decade project life for Costa Fuego.  Highlights included: