Aldebaran PEA for the Altar Project Reports 48 Year Mine Life, After Tax NPV (8%) of US$2 Billion, and 20.5% IRR
TSX-V: ALDE, OTCQX: ADBRF
October 30, 2025
Aldebaran PEA for the Altar Project Reports 48 Year Mine Life,
After Tax NPV (8%) of US$2 Billion, and 20.5% IRR
VANCOUVER, CANADA (October 30, 2025) – Aldebaran Resources Inc. (“Aldebaran” or the “Company”)
(TSX-V: ALDE, OTCQX: ADBRF) is pleased to announce the results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment
(“PEA”), prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 standards, for the Altar copper-gold project located
in San Juan, Argentina. The base case scenario utilizes a 60,000 tonnes per day (“tpd”) concentrator, processing
mineralized material from both open pit and underground sources. The results of the PEA are reported on a 100%
basis, while Aldebaran owns an 80% interest in the project, with the remaining 20% held by Sibanye-Stillwater Ltd.
All dollar amounts referenced herein are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
HIGHLIGHTS
Long life operation with significant production:
• 48-year mine life, including 3 years of construction
• First 20 years1: Average annual production of 121,445 tonnes copper equivalent2 (“CuEq”)
o 108,579 tonnes copper (“Cu”), 43,199 ounces of gold (“Au”), and 570,217 ounces of silver (“Ag”)
• First 30 years1: Average annual production of 116,294 tonnes CuEq
o 105,897 tonnes Cu, 33,866 ounces of Au, and 557,239 ounces of Ag
• LOM: Average annual production of 101,413 tonnes CuEq
o 92,891 tonnes Cu, 27,020 ounces of Au, and 525,192 ounces of Ag
Robust economics with leverage to commodity prices:
• Using base-case metal prices of $4.35/lb Cu, $2,500/oz Au, and $27/oz Ag, the project has an after-tax NPV
(8%) of $2.0 billion, an IRR of 20.5% and a payback period of 4 years
• Total LOM gross revenue of $44.7 billion (before TC/RCs, payabilities and transport) and total LOM free
cash flow of $10.7 billion
• Using spot prices of $5.00/lb Cu, $3,963/oz Au, and $47/oz Ag, the project has an after-tax NPV (8%) of
$3.34 billion and an IRR of 28.0%4
Attractive capital intensity:
• Initial capex for the project is $1.59 billion
o Upfront capital is minimized by taking a staged approach to the tailings storage facility and
underground construction
• Capital intensity of $15,713/t of average annual CuEq metal produced3
• NPV @ 8% / Initial Capex ratio of 1.27x
Competitive cost profile:
• Cash Costs (C1) of $1.71/lb payable Cu for the first 20 years1, $1.87/lb payable Cu for the first 30 years1,
and $2.02/lb payable Cu for the LOM
• All in Sustaining Costs (“AISC”) of $2.25/lb payable Cu for the first 20 years1, $2.42/lb payable Cu for the
first 30 years1, and $2.59/lb payable Cu for the LOM
2
Combined Open Pit and Underground Operation:
• Production from the open pit pays back the initial capital, while development of the underground is ongoing
• Underground mining pulls forward better grade mineralization earlier in the mine life, to increase production
and generate cash flow
• ~80% of the resources (by tonnage) in the mine plan are categorized as Measured and Indicated, with the
remaining ~20% categorized as Inferred
John Black, Chief Executive Officer of Aldebaran, commented: “This PEA confirms that the Altar project has the
potential to become a long-life, high-quality copper operation capable of generating substantial production and cash
flow. Our objective was to define a mine plan that delivers a minimum of 100,000 tonnes of CuEq per year, while
maintaining a compact operational footprint and a disciplined approach to capital. The results of this study clearly
achieve those objectives and demonstrate that Altar is a technically and economically robust project. This PEA
represents a major milestone for the Company and provides the foundation for our upcoming application for inclusion
under Argentina’s RIGI investment framework. With the political environment in Argentina shifting toward pro-
business and pro-development policies—as underscored by the recent mid-term election results—the timing for
advancing a project of Altar’s scale could not be better. The country is positioning itself to emerge as a significant
copper producer at a time when global demand for the metal continues to rise. In addition to the base case
concentrator scenario, our collaboration with Nuton, a Rio Tinto venture, demonstrates Nuton® Technology as a
potentially viable processing alternative at Altar. Utilizing Nuton® Technology, life-of-mine capital expenditure and
operating costs were reduced, leading to higher life-of-mine free cash flow. When you combine the economic results
with the ESG benefits of Nuton’s sulphide leaching technology, the Nuton case is quite compelling and warrants
further evaluation. The next 12 to 18 months will be transformative for the Company, with multiple key catalysts—
including a resource update, completion of the PFS, and the proposed Centauri Minerals spin-out—positioning us to
unlock significant value for our shareholders.”
Kevin B. Heather, Chief Geological Officer of Aldebaran, commented: “The PEA represents a significant
milestone for the Altar project. In addition to achieving the goals John stated above, we were also focused on
maximizing NPV and IRR, hence we elected to move forward with a mine plan that included a combination of open-
pit and underground block caving. The block cave, commencing production after the open pit pays back the initial
capital, allows us to pull forward higher-grade material in the mine plan and to maintain constant CuEq production
numbers, while keeping throughput at 60,000 tpd. Moreover, it keeps the overall footprint of the operation smaller,
which is a key consideration for development projects. Our approach to capital expenditures was to stage capital
outlays where possible, to ensure initial capital expenditures were kept manageable. Where possible, capital was paid
out of cash flow to present a more prudent and attractive development opportunity. We will now begin to shift our
focus to the PFS, which will be the next step in de-risking the Altar project. To that end, our 2025/2026 field program
is now underway, with most of the work focused on collecting the additional data necessary for the upcoming PFS.
This includes additional infill drilling, geotechnical drilling, lab-based geotechnical stress and strain test work, Acid
Based Accounting (ABA) test work, environmental monitoring, water wells, water balance studies, community
engagement, and more. While this work is ongoing, we will also be exploring several opportunities that we have
identified that could potentially unlock additional value from the Altar Project.”
PEA Overview
When available, readers are encouraged to read the PEA in the Company’s technical report (“Technical Report”)
prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“43-101”)
in its entirety, including all qualifications, assumptions and exclusions that relate to the PEA and mineral resource
model. The Technical Report is intended to be read as a whole, and sections should not be read or relied upon out of
context.
The PEA envisions a combination of open-pit and underground mining, followed by processing via a conventional
copper flotation circuit having a nameplate processing capacity of 60,000 tonnes per day. This results in a mine life
of 48 years with an average annual production of 102,742 CuEq tonnes for LOM, 116,539 tonnes CuEq for the first
30 years, and 121,748 CuEq tonnes for the first 20 years. Table 1 presents key operating and financial highlights from
the PEA, using base study case assumptions of $4.35/lb Cu, $2,500/oz Au and $27/oz Ag. Figure 1 displays annual
CuEq production for the LOM, while Figure 2 displays projected cash flows.
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Table 1. PEA Summary
Metric Unit Base Case
Mine Life (including construction) Years 48
After Tax NPV - 8% M USD 2,009
IRR (after tax) % 20.5%
Payback Years 4
Averal annual production (LOM) tonnes CuEq 101,413
Averal annual production (LOM) M lbs CuEq 224
Averal annual production (years 1-30) tonnes CuEq 116,294
Averal annual production (years 1-30) M lbs CuEq 256
Averal annual production (years 1-20) tonnes CuEq 121,445
Averal annual production (years 1-20) M lbs CuEq 268
LOM Gross Revenue5 M USD 44,738
LOM Free Cash Flow M USD 10,632
Initial capital M USD 1,593
Capital Intensity USD/tonne CuEq 15,713
NPV/Initial Capex Ratio 1.27
Construction Period Years 3
LOM capital M USD 5,651
C1 Cash Costs (LOM) USD/lb Cu Payable 2.02
C1 Cash Costs (years 1-30) USD/lb Cu Payable 1.87
C1 Cash Costs (years 1-20) USD/lb Cu Payable 1.71
AISC (LOM) USD/lb Cu Payable 2.59
AISC (years 1-30) USD/lb Cu Payable 2.42
AISC (years 1-20) USD/lb Cu Payable 2.25
Throughput tonnes per day 60,000
LOM Cu Recovery % 87.76%
LOM Au Recovery % 57.00%
LOM Ag Recovery % 50.00%
LOM Open pit strip ratio waste/mineralized 1.53
LOM Open pit mineralized tonnes mined M tonnes 223
LOM Open pit Cu grade % 0.44%
LOM Open pit Au grade g/t 0.07
LOM Open pit Ag grade g/t 1.18
LOM Block cave mineralized tonnes mined M tonnes 768
LOM Block cave Cu grade % 0.50%
LOM Block cave Au grade g/t 0.07
LOM Block cave Ag grade g/t 1.61
LOM Recovered Cu M lbs 9,420
LOM Recovered Au M Oz's 1.24
LOM Recovered Ag M Oz's 24.16
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Figure 1 – LOM CuEq Production and C1 Cash Costs
Figure 2 – Project Cash Flows
Mineral Resource Estimate
On November 25, 2024, the Company announced an updated mineral resource estimate (“MRE”) for the Altar project
(see Table 2). The PEA is based on the MRE; however, the PEA production profile is based on a subset of the MRE,
utilizing different metal prices, operating costs, and mining methods.
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Table 2. 2024 Altar Resource Estimate - $13.99 NSR Cut-off (0.24% CuEq)
Average Grade Contained Metal
Material
Type
Category Tonnes
(000's)
Cu
(%)
Au
(g/t)
Ag
(g/t)
Mo
(ppm)
As
(ppm)
Cu
(M lbs)
Au
(M Ozs)
Ag
(M Ozs)
Supergene
Measured 121,884 0.55 0.08 1.07 21 289 1,475 0.3 4.2
Indicated 80,007 0.36 0.06 0.93 19 123 639 0.2 2.4
Total M&I 201,891 0.47 0.07 1.01 20 223 2,114 0.5 6.6
Inferred 24,850 0.46 0.07 1.01 19 213 251 0.1 0.8
Mixed
Measured 109,510 0.38 0.07 1.22 23 192 913 0.2 4.3
Indicated 19,208 0.32 0.06 1.11 23 139 136 0.0 0.7
Total M&I 128,718 0.37 0.07 1.20 23 184 1,049 0.3 5.0
Inferred 1,386 0.29 0.07 1.00 13 111 9 0.0 0.0
Hypogene
Measured 549,385 0.41 0.10 0.98 20 120 4,966 1.7 17.3
Indicated 1,517,339 0.42 0.05 1.33 54 114 13,882 2.6 64.9
Total M&I 2,066,724 0.41 0.07 1.24 45 116 18,848 4.3 82.2
Inferred 1,189,513 0.37 0.04 1.26 46 96 9,572 1.6 48.2
Total
Measured 780,779 0.43 0.09 1.03 21 156 7,354 2.3 25.8
Indicated 1,616,554 0.41 0.05 1.31 52 115 14,657 2.8 68.0
Total M&I 2,397,333 0.42 0.07 1.22 42 128 22,011 5.1 93.8
Inferred 1,215,749 0.37 0.04 1.25 45 98 9,832 1.7 49.0
Notes:
a. The Altar mineral resource was updated during 2024.
b. All mineral resources are contained in pit geometries.
c. Mineral resources for Altar are based on metal prices of $3.75/lb copper, $1,800/oz gold, $23.00/oz silver.
d. There are no mineral reserves at Altar at this time.
e. Cut-off grades are based on calculations of net smelter return (NSR) assuming the processing by flotation to produce a
copper concentrate and smelting of that concentrate.
f. The Altar NSR is defined as:
Copper Contribution:
• Float recoverable copper grade x 22.0462x(3.75-TCRC) less 1% smelter deduct
• Floatation recoverable copper grade = (copper grade – 0.01) *0.92
Gold Contribution:
• (Gold grade in ppm x 0.55 /31.1035) x (1800-4.00) less 1 gram smelter deduct
Silver Contribution:
• (Silver grade in ppm x 0.50/31.1035) x (23.00 -0.30) less 30 grams smelter deduct
g. Arsenic grades vary by block in the model and smelter terms, including arsenic penalties, vary by block. Average smelter
terms, including arsenic penalties for the 2024 Altar Mineral Resource, is approximately $0.71/lb copper.
h. The equivalent copper cutoff grade of 0.24% CuEq was calculated based on the economics discussed in these footnotes and
differs from the calculation of CuEq discussed elsewhere in this press release. The equivalent copper cut-off grade
calculation is approximate due to the complexities of arsenic penalty calculations by block.
i. Tables may not balance exactly due to rounding.
j. The Qualified Persons for the mineral resources are John Marek RM-SME, and Jacob Richey PE, of Independent Mining
Consultants, Inc.
Mining
The proposed mining method is divided into open-pit mining for the near-surface part of the deposit and underground
caving for the deeper parts. The open pit will use well-known truck and shovel operations with 12.5-m bench intervals.
Haul trucks will be used for hauling mineralized material to the crushing plant and long -term stockpile facilities.
6
Waste rock will be hauled to the closest waste rock storage facility. Underground operations will handle material in
bulk using well established block caving methods. Open-pit mining will occur during the first 9 years of operation (in
the Altar Central area), while underground development is underway. The mining profile for the project can be seen
in Figure 3.
Open pit mining operations will use a smaller-scale equipment fleet that includes 8 m3 hydraulic excavators and 100t
capacity SANY haul trucks to allow for narrower bench phases and haul roads, steeper pit slopes, which will facilitate
getting into the better-grade, highest-margin mineralization sooner. Underground block cave mining will occur in
three areas: Altar East, Altar United, and Altar Central (beneath the open pit). Each underground cave is divided into
two lifts, an upper and lower, which will be sequenced as follows: Altar East Upper, Altar United Upper, Altar Central
Upper, Altar East Lower, Altar United Lower and Altar Central Lower. Underground access to the block caving
mining areas will be through a portal and conveyor drift from the south of the proposed pit (twin declines). To develop
the first block cave lift at Altar East, two 3000 m declines are required plus associated development beneath the cave
lift.
Figure 3. Mining profile for the LOM
Processing
Extensive metallurgical test work has demonstrated that the contained copper and gold can be effectively recovered
in a traditional flotation concentrator that would produce a single gold-bearing copper concentrate using industry-
accepted technologies. The flowsheet includes primary crushing followed by grinding in a SAG (semi-autogenous
grinding) mill/ball mill grinding circuit, rougher flotation, regrinding of the rougher concentrate and three stages of
cleaner flotation. The concentrator would be constructed with a capacity to process 60,000 tpd and operated on a 365
day/year, 24 hour/day schedule. A simplified process flowsheet can be seen in Figure 4. LOM average recoveries for
Cu, Au and Ag are 87.76%, 57% and 50% respectively. The grade of the concentrate produced is 26% for the LOM.
Arsenic in the concentrate is expected to range from 0.5% to 2.2%. Aldebaran hired the CRU Group, a global leader
7
in commodity research and market analysis, to complete a study analyzing the placement of arsenic-bearing
concentrates into the marketplace, which showed that blending capacity for arsenic-bearing copper concentrates
worldwide has increased materially in recent years, and penalties paid for arsenic-bearing concentrates have decreased
substantially. The PEA utilizes CRU’s view on arsenic penalties.
Figure 4. Processing Circuit
Capital and Operating Costs
The capital cost estimate prepared for the PEA includes an installation cost associated with the site infrastructure,
open pit mine and concentrator plant, a growth capital associated with the installation of the block caving underground
mining operation, and the sustaining capital associated with the production plan. The LOM summary of capital is
presented in Table 3, while the capital profile for the LOM is presented in Figure 5.
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Cyclone Feed
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Cyclone Ball Mill
U'flow
O'flow
Flotation Reagent Regind Mill
Conditioners
Rougher Flotation Ro. Conc. Regrind Cyclone
Scav Conc. Sump
U'flow
Scavenger Flotation Regrind Cyclone
Cl Scav Conc.
Scav. Tailing O'flow
Process Water O'flow Tailing Thickener Cl -1 Flotation Cl Scavenger Flot. Cl Scav Tailing Tailing Storage
Tank Facility
U'flow Cl-2 Tail
Cl-2 Flotation
Tailing Storage
Facility Cl-3 Tail
Cl-3 Flotation
Conc. Thickener
Conc. Filter
Conc. Load-Out
8
Table 3. Altar Capital Cost Summary
Type Unit Cost
Initial Open Pit Capex M USD 350
Initial Processing Capex M USD 579
Initial Infrastructure Capex M USD 665
Total Initial Capex M USD 1,593
Growth UG Capex M USD 227
Total Initial + Growth Capex M USD 1,821
Sustaining Capital M USD 3,830
Total LOM Capital M USD 5,651
Figure 5. Capital Profile for the LOM
Operating costs were estimated for the open pit mining operation, block caving mining operation, the concentrator
processing operation, and G&A. A summary of the estimated operating costs is presented in Table 4. The buildup of
LOM C1 cash costs and AISC can be found in Tables 5 and 6, while operating costs by year can be found in Figure
6.