PFS Workstreams Updated At The Cactus Project

CASA GRANDE, AZ - Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc. (ASCU) reported on key workstreams associated with advancing the 2024 Preliminary Economic Assessment to Pre-feasibility Study (PFS”. The 2024 PEA envisages a low capital intensity open pit operation producing over 116,000 short tons or 232 million pounds of copper cathodes annually for the first 20 years of the mine life, via heap leach and solvent extraction electrowinning (SX/EW) processing of the oxides and enriched material. Activities in 2025 are set to derisk the Cactus Project as we move through the technical studies and to an eventual construction decision post-definitive feasibility study next year.

Hydrology – Vibrating wireline piezometers have been installed in eight drillholes; ground water data is being collected to facilitate the ongoing hydrologic model. Geotechnical drilling is complete and test work and final analysis is pending. Base case mine planning well underway with varying opportunities to improve Project economics. Earthworks and trial excavation of the Cactus West pit using a surface continuous miner.

Metallurgy – completed columns to date indicate Parks/Salyer (including MainSpring) metallurgy positively correlates with 2024 PEA results. Additional primary sulphide column testing using conventional heap leaching is ongoing.

Cactus West Pit Sampling – samples from the pit lake to be taken in June. Results to analyze the usage of pit lake solution within the PFS flow sheet. Drilling – 65% complete, with final results expected in July. Land use management – Pinal County has selected Cactus’ stockpiled alluvium for use as road construction material. In March, a total of 11,000 cubic yards of alluvium was moved offsite for use in road improvement and construction within the local community.

George Ogilvie, President, CEO and Director, said, “The Pre-Feasibility workstreams continue on pace to deliver a Mineral Resource Estimate update as well as PFS results and technical report in 2H2025.

We tested a Wirtgen SM280 Surface Miner in the Cactus West Open pit earlier this year, both in the Alluvium and Gila Conglomerate which represents approximately 65% of all the material that will have to be moved over the 2024 PEA life of mine. The test results remain subject to ongoing analysis but we were impressed with the unit's productivity and final product size which could be helpful from a reclaim perspective.

We believe the Cactus Project remains one of only a few copper projects in the United States that can be built in relatively short order with a low capital intensity to produce copper cathode for direct sale to the domestic US market, tariff-free.”