AbraSilver Receives Final Environmental Approval from Catamarca Authorities for Diablillos
AbraSilver Receives Final Environmental
Approval from Catamarca Authorities for
Diablillos
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 24, 2026) -
AbraSilver Resource Corp. (TSX: ABRA)
(OTCQX: ABBRF)
("AbraSilver" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received
approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment ("Declaración de Impacto Ambiental" or "DIA") from
the Government of Catamarca Province for its wholly-owned Diablillos silver-gold project ("Diablillos" or
the "Project") in Argentina.
The Catamarca DIA represents the final major environmental permit required for the development and
construction of the Diablillos project and marks a significant milestone in advancing one of the world's
premier undeveloped silver-gold projects toward a construction decision. The approval follows the
Company's recent receipt of the DIA from Salta Province, announced on
April 27, 2026
, and confirms
that all principal provincial environmental approvals required for the Project have now been secured.
John Miniotis, President and CEO, commented, "Receiving the Catamarca DIA represents the final
major permitting milestone for Diablillos and is another significant step towards a construction decision.
With environmental approvals now secured from both Salta and Catamarca provinces, and our Definitive
Feasibility Study completed, Diablillos now stands out as the largest fully-permitted construction-ready
silver-gold project globally.
We would like to thank the provincial authorities, local communities and all
stakeholders for their support throughout this process.
We are now focused on advancing project
financing and moving Diablillos toward construction."
The Catamarca approval follows a comprehensive review process that included detailed environmental
studies, technical evaluations, public consultation activities, community engagement initiatives, and site
visits by provincial authorities and key stakeholders.
Salta-Catamarca Co-Operation Agreement Finalized
In a separate and important development for the Project, the legislatures of both Salta and Catamarca
provinces have approved the inter-provincial cooperation agreement relating to the development of
Diablillos.
The agreement, together with its related protocols, establishes a formal framework for
collaboration between the two provinces and provides additional regulatory and institutional certainty
including through coordination on jurisdictional, administrative, royalty and tax matters. This framework is
particularly relevant given the location of the Diablillos Project in an area historically affected by the
boundary dispute between Salta and Catamarca.
The approval of this agreement further demonstrates the strong support for Diablillos at both the
provincial and regional levels as the Project advances toward development.
Next Steps - Advancing Toward Development
With all major environmental permit approvals now secured, the Company is focused on advancing the
following key development milestones:
Advancement of project financing initiatives, including engagement with potential debt, equity,
stream and strategic partners.
Progression of critical path detailed engineering activities and procurement packages for long-
lead items.
EPCM contract negotiation and build out of the Owners team for project execution.
Commencement of early-works and site preparation activities to commence in Q3 2026.
Detailed evaluation of Phase 2 expansion opportunities, including both tank leach and heap leach
expansion scenarios.
QA/QC and Core Sampling Protocols
AbraSilver applies industry standard exploration methodologies and techniques, and all drill core
samples are collected under the supervision of the Company's geologists in accordance with industry
best practices. Drill core is transported from the drill platform to the logging facility where drill data is
compared and verified with the core in the trays. Thereafter, it is logged, photographed, and split by
diamond saw prior to being sampled. Samples are then bagged, and quality control materials are
inserted at regular intervals at site; these include blanks and certified reference materials as well as
duplicate core samples which are collected in order to assess sampling precision and reproducibility.
Groups of samples are then placed in large bags which are sealed with numbered tags in order to
maintain a chain-of-custody during the transport of the samples from the project site to the laboratory.
All samples are received by the ASA (Alex Stewart Argentina) preparation laboratory in Salta, where
they are prepared, then the pulp sachet is directly dispatched to its facility in Mendoza, Argentina, where
they are analyzed. All samples are analyzed using a multi-element technique consisting of a four-acid
digestion followed by ICP/AES detection, and gold is analyzed by 50g Fire Assay with an AAS finish.
Silver results greater than 100g/t are re-analyzed using four acid digestion with an ore grade AAS finish.
About Diablillos
The Diablillos property is located within the Puna region of Argentina, in the southern part of Salta
Province along the border with Catamarca Province, approximately 160 km southwest of the city of Salta
and 375 km northwest of the city of Catamarca. AbraSilver acquired the property in 2016, which
comprises 15 contiguous and overlapping mineral concessions with excellent year-round road access.
Exploration to date has outlined multiple occurrences of silver-gold oxide mineralization at Oculto, JAC,
Laderas, and Fantasma, located within a 500 m to 1.5 km distance surrounding the Oculto/JAC
epicentre. To date, over 170,000 metres have been drilled on the property, which continues to
demonstrate the strong growth potential of shallow, oxide-hosted silver and gold resources.
In addition, a
large porphyry complex is centered approximately 4 km northeast of Oculto which includes outcropping
porphyry intrusions within a major zone of alteration and associated gold rich epithermal mineralization.
Comparatively nearby examples of high sulphidation epithermal deposits include: La Coipa (Chile);
Yanacocha (Peru); El Indio (Chile); Lagunas Nortes/Alto Chicama (Peru) Veladero (Argentina); and Filo
del Sol (Argentina). The most recent Mineral Resource estimate for Diablillos is shown in Table 1:
Table 1 - Diablillos Mineral Resource Estimate - As of April 30, 2026
Zone
Category
Tonnes
(000 t)
Ag
(g/t)
Au
(g/t)
AgEq
(g/t)
Contained
Ag
(000 Oz)
Contained
Au
(000 Oz)
Contained
AgEq
(000 Oz)
Tank Leach
Oxides
Measured
41,042
100
0.68
159
131,668
896
209,281
Indicated
60,978
41
0.58
92
81,060
1,143
180,078
Measured &
102,021
65
0.62
119
212,728
2,039
389,359
Indicated
Inferred
14,400
25
0.57
74
11,468
262
34,187
Heap Leach
Oxides
Measured
25,469
13
0.09
19
10,997
76
15,425
Indicated
104,491
7
0.13
15
24,328
428
49,342
Measured &
129,960
8
0.12
16
35,325
503
64,767
Indicated
Inferred
34,947
6
0.14
14
6,939
158
16,153
Total
Oxides
Measured
66,512
67
0.45
105
142,665
971
224,706
Indicated
165,469
20
0.30
43
105,388
1,570
229,420
Measured &
231,981
33
0.34
61
248,053
2,542
454,127
Indicated
Inferred
49,347
12
0.26
32
18,406
420
50,340
Footnotes for Tank Leach Resource:
1
.
Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and have not demonstrated economic viability.
2
.
The formula for calculating AgEq is as follows: Silver Eq Oz = Silver Oz + Gold Oz x (Gold Price/Silver Price) x (Gold Recovery/Silver
Recovery).
3
.
The Mineral Resource model was populated using Ordinary Kriging grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model and mineralized
zones defined by wireframed solids, which are a combination of lithology and alteration domains.
The 1m composite grades were capped
where appropriate.
4
.
The Mineral Resource is reported inside a conceptual Whittle open pit shell derived using US$ 34.50/oz Ag price, US $3,200/oz Au price,
86.6% process recovery for Au, and 80.9% process recovery for Ag, for the tank leaching and 74.3% process recovery for Au, and
46.8% process recovery for Ag, for the secondary heap leaching.
5
.
Open pit optimization was constrained using a dual-process approach, with tank leaching as the primary process (total opex of US$32.30/t)
and heap leaching as the secondary process (total opex of US$7.00/t).
6
.
The MRE has been categorized in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards (CIM, 2014).
7
.
A Net Value per block [NVB] calculation was used to constrain the Mineral Resource, determine the "Benefits = Income-Cost", where,
Income = [(Au Selling Price (US$/oz) - Au Selling Cost (USD/Oz)) x (Au grade (g/t)/31.1035)) x Au Recovery (%)] + [(Ag Selling Price
(US$/oz) - Ag Selling Cost (USD/Oz)) x (Ag grade (g/t)/31.1035)) x Ag Recovery (%)] and Cost = Mining Cost (US$/t) + Process Cost (US$/t)
+ Transport Cost (US$/t) + G&A Cost (US$/t) + [Royalty Cost (%) x Income]
8
.
The Mineral Resource is sub-horizontal with sub-vertical feeders and has a reasonable prospect for eventual economic extraction by open
pit methods.
9
.
In-situ bulk densities were assigned to each model domain, according to samples averages for each lithology domain, separated by
alteration zones and subset by oxidation.
10
.
All tonnages reported are dry metric tonnes and ounces of contained gold are troy ounces.
11
.
Mining recovery and dilution factors have not been applied to the Mineral Resource estimates.
12
.
The Mineral Resource was estimated by Luis Rodrigo Peralta, B.Sc., FAusIMM CP (Geo), an INSA Consultora Managing Principal Geologist,
and an Independent Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
13
.
Mr. Peralta is not aware of any environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues that could
materially affect the potential development of the Mineral Resource.
14
.
All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimates. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate
significant figures.
Footnotes for Heap Leach Resource:
1
.
Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and have not demonstrated economic viability.
2
.
The formula for calculating AgEq is as follows: Silver Eq Oz = Silver Oz + Gold Oz x (Gold Price/Silver Price) x (Gold Recovery/Silver
Recovery).
3
.
The Mineral Resource model was populated using Ordinary Kriging grade estimation within a three-dimensional block model and mineralized
zones defined by wireframed solids, which are a combination of lithology and alteration domains.
The 1m composite grades were capped
where appropriate.
4
.
The Mineral Resource is reported inside a conceptual Whittle open pit shell derived using US$ 34.50/oz Ag price, US $3,200/oz Au price,
86.6% process recovery for Au, and 80.9% process recovery for Ag, for the primary process tank leaching and 74.3% process recovery
for Au, and 46.8% process recovery for Ag, for the secondary process heap leaching.
5
.
Open pit optimization was constrained using a dual-process approach, with tank leaching as the primary process (total opex of US$32.30/t)
and heap leaching as the secondary process (total opex of US$7.00/t).
6
.
The MRE has been categorized in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards (CIM, 2014).
7
.
A Net Value per block [NVB] calculation was used to constrain the Mineral Resource, determine the "Benefits = Income-Cost", where,
Income = [(Au Selling Price (US$/oz) - Au Selling Cost (USD/Oz)) x (Au grade (g/t)/31.1035)) x Au Recovery (%)] + [(Ag Selling Price
(US$/oz) - Ag Selling Cost (USD/Oz)) x (Ag grade (g/t)/31.1035)) x Ag Recovery (%)] and Cost = Mining Cost (US$/t) + Process Cost (US$/t)
+ Transport Cost (US$/t) + G&A Cost (US$/t) + [Royalty Cost (%) x Income].
8
.
The Mineral Resource is sub-horizontal with sub-vertical feeders and a reasonable prospect for eventual economic extraction by open pit
methods.
9
.
In-situ bulk density was assigned to each model domain, according to samples averages for each lithology domain, separated by alteration
zones and subset by oxidation.
10
.
All tonnages reported are dry metric tonnes and ounces of contained gold are troy ounces.
11
.
Mining recovery and dilution factors have not been applied to the Mineral Resource estimates.
12
.
The Mineral Resource was estimated by Luis Rodrigo Peralta, B.Sc., FAusIMM CP (Geo), an INSA Consultora Managing Principal Geologist,
and an Independent Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
13
.
Mr. Peralta is not aware of any environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues that could
materially affect the potential development of the Mineral Resource.
14
.
All figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimates. Minor discrepancies may occur due to rounding to appropriate
significant figures.
Qualified Persons
David O'Connor P.Geo., Chief Geologist for AbraSilver, is the Qualified Person as defined by National
Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and he has reviewed and approved the
scientific and technical information in this news release.
About AbraSilver
AbraSilver is a leading silver-gold development company focused on advancing its 100%-owned
Diablillos Project in the mining-friendly provinces of Salta and Catamarca, Argentina. The recently
completed Definitive Feasibility Study highlights Diablillos as a robust, high-margin, long-life precious
metals project with a strong production profile and substantial exploration upside.
In addition, the
Company has entered into an earn-in option and joint venture agreement with Teck on the La Coipita
project, located in the San Juan province of Argentina. AbraSilver is listed on the TSX under the symbol
"ABRA" and in the U.S. on the OTCQX under the symbol "ABBRF."
For further information please visit the AbraSilver Resource website at
www.abrasilver.com
, our LinkedIn
page at
AbraSilver Resource Corp.
, and follow us on X at
www.x.com/abrasilver
.
Alternatively, please contact:
John Miniotis, President and CEO
Tel: +1 416-306-8334
Cautionary Statements
This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities
legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and
assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties,
and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements that address future plans,
activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur
are forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be
accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such
statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. When
considering this forward-looking information, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other
cautionary statements in the Company's disclosure documents filed with the applicable Canadian
securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR+ at
www.sedarplus.ca
.
The risk factors and other factors
noted in the disclosure documents could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those
described in any forward-looking information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise, except as required by law.
Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release
To view the source version of this press release, please visit
https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/302727