Zürcher Nachrichten - Camino Receives Approval for Waste Dump Expansion and Achieves Milestone at the Puquios Copper Project in Chile

This project modification approval supports Camino and its strategic partner Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd.'s ("Nittetsu" or "Nittetsu Mining") efforts to pursue a financing package to build a copper mine at the Puquios Project. The exempt resolution confirms that no separate Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") is required for the approved changes. Camino and Nittetsu are pursuing a project loan facility to build the Puquios Project and are currently exploring options with Japanese lenders which, if successful, is expected to be competitive against other alternatives available in the mining sector.

With this milestone, Camino and Nittetsu have agreed to cause Camino-Nittetsu Mining Chile SpA ("Camino-Nittetsu JVCO"), an entity existing under the laws of Chile in which Camino and Nittetsu each hold a 50% ownership interest, to commence payment of the contingent payments payable to Santiago Metals Investment Holdings II SLU and Santiago Metals Investment Holdings II-A LLC (together, the "Vendors") under the share purchase agreement dated October 4, 2024 (as subsequently amended, the "Share Purchase Agreement") among Camino, the Vendors, Nittetsu, and Camino-Nittetsu JVCO. However, the Vendors have agreed to waive and defer receipt of 50% of each of the initial three contingent payments (representing Camino's portion of each such contingent payment payable by Camino-Nittetsu JVCO) to March 1, 2026, in consideration for an additional CAD$750,000 to be paid by Camino on or before March 1, 2026. In accordance with the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, the deferred contingent payments may be made in cash or common shares of Camino ("Common Shares"), at the election of the Vendors upon payment in March 2026.

The Vendors are private companies owned by a fund advised by Denham Capital Management LP ("Denham Capital"). For details of the Share Purchase Agreement, please refer to the Company's public filings, including the Company's news release dated October 7, 2024.

Justin Machin, Managing Director at Denham Capital, and Director at Camino commented, "The Puquios Project is progressing positively towards a final investment decision with the recent expansion authorization. We are pleased to work with Camino as the Company develops a financial package to build the Puquios copper mine."

Jay Chmelauskas, CEO of Camino added, "Puquios is the right-sized copper mine, and with current upward trending copper prices, it's the right time for Camino to build in Chile with our partners, Denham Capital and Nittetsu Mining. This partnership also covers our Los Chapitos copper project in Peru where exploration drilling will commence shortly, providing two value drivers for investors, copper production in Chile, and copper exploration in Peru."

Corporate Update
Camino granted stock options to certain directors, officers, consultants, and employees to purchase up to 2,250,000 Common Shares on or before October 7, 2030, at an exercise price of $0.30 per share, in accordance with the Company's amended and restated equity incentive plan. The stock options will vest over an 18-month period, with 25% vesting immediately upon grant and an additional 25% vesting every six months thereafter.

In addition, the Company announces that it intends to issue an aggregate of 443,250 Common Shares (the "Finder Shares") to Resource Play, an arm's length third party party, at a deemed price of $0.30 per share as a finder's fee in connection with the earn-in agreement dated June 13, 2023 (the "Earn-In Agreement") entered into by, inter alios, Camino and Nittetsu Mining for its Los Chapitos copper project. The Finder Shares are proposed to be issued in relation to $3.0 million of funds contributed by Nittetsu under the Earn-In Agreement as the fourth and fifth option to earn-in payments made by Nittetsu thereunder. The intention to pay the finder's fee was noted in Camino's news reléase dated February 1, 2023, and the Finder Shares are being issued in accordance with the terms of a finder's fee agreement entered into by Camino and Resource Play dated August 5, 2020, as subsequently extended. The issuance of the Finder Shares remains subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Finder Shares to be issued will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities legislation.

About Camino
Camino is a discovery and development stage copper exploration company. On April 17, 2025, Camino announced the completion of its acquisition (announced on Oct 7, 2024) to purchase the construction-ready Puquios copper mine in Chile. Camino is focused on developing copper producing assets such as Puquios, and advancing its IOCG Los Chapitos copper project located in Peru through to resource delineation and development, and to add new discoveries. Camino has also permitted the Maria Cecilia copper porphyry project for exploration discovery drilling to add to its NI43-101 resources. In addition, Camino has increased its land position at its copper and silver Plata Dorada project. Camino seeks to acquire a portfolio of advanced copper assets that have the potential to deliver copper into an electrifying copper intensive global economy. For more information, please refer to Camino's website at www.caminocorp.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this release constitute forward-looking information. In making the forward-looking disclosures in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information in the release includes, without limitation, statements with respect to the future financing and construction of the Puquios Project, prospectivity of future exploration work at Los Chapitos, the payment of the deferred contingent payments, the mineral properties of the Company, the payment of the finder's fee and the issuance of the Finder Shares. Although the Company considers the assumptions underlying such forward-looking information to be reasonable and based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. The forward-looking information in this release is subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information. Such risk factors include, among others, that actual results of the Company's exploration activities may be different than those expected by management, that the Company may not realize the benefits of joint ventures and/or strategic partnerships with respect to the Company's properties, that the Company may be unable to obtain or may experience delays in obtaining any required authorizations and approvals, the state of equity and commodity markets, and that the Company may be unable to obtain any required regulatory or stock exchange approval. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly 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.

SOURCE: Camino Minerals Corp

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

A.P.Huber--NZN