Star Metro - Coppercore Secures 10-Year Lease of Copper Concentration Facility in Colombia's Magdalena Department

SANTA MARTA, CO / ACCESS Newswire / September 17, 2026 / Coppercore Inc. today announced a 10-year lease, with a purchase option, for a copper concentration facility in Colombia's Magdalena department, in the Santa Marta industrial corridor. The agreement gives Coppercore a stable Colombian operating base from which to supply acid-free copper concentrate to industrial buyers seeking scalable, lower-impact feedstock. It also marks the company's transition from development into production at a time when global copper demand is accelerating across grid buildout, electrification, defense spending and AI data-center construction, with the International Energy Agency projecting a supply shortfall of approximately 30% by 2035.

The facility will begin with Phase 1-A, targeting 1,000 metric tons of copper concentrate per month at a grade of 22%-25% copper, with silver credits averaging approximately 300 g/t Ag. Plant layout, permitting and installed infrastructure support a staged expansion to 2,000 metric tons per month within the first 12 to 18 months, and as plant size and feedstock supply increase toward 8,000-10,000 metric tons per month as ore supply and throughput scale. The lease runs for 10 years and includes an option to purchase the assets outright.

Coppercore estimates that, at current copper prices, production at the planned 2,000 metric tons per month steady-state rate would represent approximately 50,000-60,000 metric tons of cumulative contained copper over the 10-year lease term. At the full expansion rate of 8,000-10,000 metric tons per month, cumulative contained-copper volume would rise to approximately 300,000 metric tons These figures are illustrative, assume the stated rate is sustained for the full period, and do not account for ramp-up; actual results will depend on ore supply, ramp-up pace, capital deployment and realized throughput.

A Cleaner Processing Route: No Sulfuric Acid

Coppercore will process oxide copper ores; principally malachite and azurite using a proprietary alkaline flotation methodology developed in-house, rather than the sulfuric acid leaching route conventionally applied to oxide copper. The process uses no sulfuric acid and produces no acidic effluent, eliminating the acid transport, storage, containment and neutralization burden that accompanies conventional oxide leaching. Coppercore's internal technical study models the route at 80% metallurgical recovery to a 22%-25% copper concentrate.

Powered by Solar and Wind

Coppercore aims to gradually run the facility on renewable energies - specifically solar and wind - and to operate its own transport fleet on fully electric trucks. This is a stated design objective for the operation.

Strategically located between the ports of Santa Marta and Barranquilla, the facility sits in one of Colombia's strongest renewable resource corridors, combining high year-round solar irradiance with the consistent trade winds characteristic of the Caribbean coast. Coppercore intends to build out on-site solar generation and wind capacity progressively as the plant scales, displacing grid and diesel consumption.

The objective is a facility that pairs low-impact process chemistry with low-carbon energy and logistics - an increasingly relevant qualification as concentrate buyers, lenders and end users apply environmental screening across the copper supply chain.

Building the Ore Supply Chain

Colombia's copper output is fragmented across small and mid-scale producers with no consolidated route to market. Coppercore's answer is an "acopio" - a centralized ore purchasing and aggregation platform that buys run-of-mine copper ore from independent producers across the region, verifies each supply relationship at intake, and converts the aggregated material into export-grade concentrate. Sourcing is restricted to legally authorised mines and permitted producers, with origin, counterparty and chain-of-supply documentation captured as a condition of purchase.

The first ore supply agreement is signed, and negotiations are underway with additional authorised suppliers. Coppercore is building toward more than ten independent suppliers - a deliberately diversified feedstock base that supports the production plan and removes dependence on any single counterparty.

For local producers, the centralized ore purchasing platform fills a structural gap: a permanent buyer paying transparent prices referenced to the London Metal Exchange (LME), net of standard treatment and refining charges.. Producers who previously sold through intermediaries on inconsistent terms gain a secured purchasing point and predictable offtake - tying Coppercore's feedstock security directly to the economic stability of the communities it sources from.

For buyers and industrial partners, the same structure delivers consistent concentrate availability from a supply base no single disruption can interrupt, and a documented pathway from authorised local ore to international delivery.

Offtake

Coppercore is currently in discussions with a number of top-tier international concentrate buyers, among the largest participants in the global physical metals trade. Parties interested in offtake, prepayment or structured financing discussions may contact the company at [email protected].

Colombia: A Changing Operating Environment

Colombia combines significant copper and gold potential with a mining sector that has historically faced challenges around permitting, security, formalisation and investment. The administration of President Abelardo De La Espriella has signalled its intention to encourage responsible development of the country's natural resources, attract investment and strengthen legal and formal mining, while maintaining applicable environmental and regulatory standards.

Coppercore welcomes this increased focus on responsible mining, formalisation and investment. The company believes that a stable, transparent and investment-supportive operating environment can help Colombia develop more of its mineral potential while creating employment, supporting local communities and bringing responsibly sourced production into international supply chains.

Recent cooperation between Colombia and the United States provides a further positive signal. On September 8, 2026, the two governments signed a framework for cooperation on critical-mineral supply chains covering areas including mining, processing, geological knowledge and investment. The framework reflects growing international interest in developing diversified and resilient supplies of strategically important minerals.

Management Commentary

"The geology was never the problem in Colombia. The operating environment was, but that is finally changing," said Antonio Treminio, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Coppercore. "We did the hard work before the window opened: the plant, the team, the process, the buyers. This lease converts ten years of optionality into ten years of production capacity, with an option to purchase the assets and a path to extend beyond the initial term. This is a cash-generating asset from day one, not a multi-year development story."

"Treatment charges have collapsed into negative territory in recent spot markets - smelters paying producers to secure concentrate," Treminio added. "Whoever controls concentrate controls this cycle."

About Coppercore

Coppercore Inc. is a copper and critical minerals company establishing what the company believes to be one of the top tier copper concentration facilities in Colombia, built on acid-free alkaline flotation process. The company's technical team includes former mining, industrial and civil engineers and former SGS-trained chemists specializing in copper flotation, quality control and production excellence.

Media and investor inquiries: [email protected] · www.coppercore.co

Forward-Looking Statements

^{This release contains forward-looking statements regarding production capacity, expansion plans, supply arrangements, offtake relationships, process performance, renewable energy and electrified transport initiatives, cumulative contained-copper tonnage estimates, and regulatory developments. Estimates of potential cumulative contained-copper tonnage are illustrative only, based on stated production targets and assumed ore grades; they are not projections, forecasts, or guarantees of future results, and will vary - potentially materially - with production ramp-up pace and realized ore grade. Statements regarding renewable generation and electric haulage describe current intentions and are subject to infrastructure availability, capital allocation and technology suitability; they do not describe the facility's present energy configuration. Metallurgical figures reflect internal design parameters and theoretical mass balance, not audited operating results. Such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including project execution, ore supply availability, commodity price volatility, and regulatory and security conditions in Colombia. Actual results may differ materially. This release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor investment advice.}

SOURCE: Coppercore Inc

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A.Desjardins--SMC