Hot Chili Commences Port Negotiation

Date

1/21/2022 2:31:52 PM

(MENAFN- News Direct)

Perth, Australia | January 21, 2022 08:01 AM Eastern Standard Time

Hot Chili Commences <a target="_blank" href="https://menafn.com/MenaGoogleSearch.aspx?cx=partner-pub-1786942026589567%3Asao396-3ere&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=port&sa=Search#1141" class ="search_links_in_body">port</a> Negotiation Image

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Hot Chili Limited (ASX: HCH) (TSXV:HCH) (OTCQB: HHLKF) (“Hot Chili” or“Company”) is pleased to announce the commencement of negotiations for the final critical infrastructure item required for the development of the Company Costa Fuego copper development hub in Chile.

The Company has executed a Letter of Intent with Puerto Las Losas SA (PLL) to negotiate a port access and port services agreement for PLL's facilities located at Huasco, approximately 50km west of Costa Fuego's proposed processing plant.

Under the terms of the Letter of Intent, PLL will finance a study for port services using the existing Puerto Las Losas dock for the shipment of copper concentrates and other materials related to the future construction and operation of Costa Fuego.

PLL have undertaken to present Hot Chili with a binding offer for port services, within the next 12 weeks or less.

Should a binding port services agreement be executed, PLL have committed to commence any required upgrade at Las Losas, and both parties will work together on a best endeavours basis to start operations during the last quarter of 2025.

Hot Chili's Country Manager and Chief Legal Counsel – Jose Ignacio Silva stated:

“Securing port services will be a major step forward for Costa Fuego. Leveraging off existing port infrastructure will materially reduce Costa Fuego's environmental footprint during construction and operations. As no new port or areas will be required for construction or subject to environmental permitting, we expect a positive impact to our construction capital requirements and overall permitting/construction timelines.”

Hot Chili's Managing Director – Christian Easterday stated:

“Costa Fuego continues to benefit from its low altitude location and proximity to existing transport, power and port infrastructure, resulting in low capital intensity. Our Letter of Intent with PLL demonstrates our continued commitment to advancing Costa Fuego within an ESG framework that reduces the overall environmental impact and uses Chilean goods, services and businesses where possible.”

The Company looks forward to providing further updates from its various workstreams including drilling results (three rigs in operation), development studies and corporate actions in the lead up to a planned major resource upgrade for Costa Fuego later this quarter.

This announcement is authorised by the Board of Directors for release to ASX and TSX Venture Exchange

Figure 1 Location of Productora and the Cortadera discovery in relation to the coastal range infrastructure of Hot Chili's combined Costa Fuego copper project, located 600km north of Santiago in Chile

Refer to ASX Announcement“Costa Fuego Becomes a Leading Global Copper Project” (12th October 2020) for JORC Table 1 information related to the Cortadera JORC compliant Mineral Resource estimate by Wood and the Productora re-stated JORC compliant Mineral Resource estimate by AMC Consultants

* Copper Equivalent (CuEq) reported for the resource were calculated using the following formula: CuEq% = ((Cu% × Cu price 1% per tonne × Cu_recovery)+(Mo ppm × Mo price per g/t × Mo_recovery)+(Au ppm × Au price per g/t × Au_recovery)+ (Ag ppm × Ag price per g/t × Ag_recovery)) / (Cu price 1% per tonne). The Metal Prices applied in the calculation were: Cu=3.00 USD/lb, Au=1,550 USD/oz, Mo=12 USD/lb, and Ag=18 USD/oz. For Cortadera (Inferred + Indicated), the average Metallurgical Recoveries were: Cu=83%, Au=56%, Mo=82%, and Ag=37%. For Productora (Inferred + Indicated), the average Metallurgical Recoveries were: Cu=83%, Au=43% and Mo=42%. For Costa Fuego (Inferred + Indicated), the average Metallurgical Recoveries were: Cu=83%, Au=51%, Mo=67% and Ag=23%.

** Reported on a 100% Basis - combining Cortadera and Productora Mineral Resources using a +0.25% CuEq reporting cut-off grade

Qualifying Statements

The Mineral Resource summary for the Costa Fuego Project is presented in the following tables.

Productora Mineral Resource Summary - reported by classification (open pit, using +0.25% CuEq cut-off grade), 28 October 2021

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Copper Equivalent (CuEq) reported for the resource were calculated using the following formula:: CuEq% = ((Cu% × Cu price 1% per tonne × Cu_recovery)+(Mo ppm × Mo price per g/t × Mo_recovery)+(Au ppm × Au price per g/t × Au_recovery)+ (Ag ppm × Ag price per g/t × Ag_recovery)) / (Cu price 1 % per tonne). The Metal Prices applied in the calculation were: Cu=3.00 USD/lb, Au=1,550 USD/oz, Mo=12 USD/lb, and Ag=18 USD/oz. For Productora (Inferred + Indicated), the average Metallurgical Recoveries were: Cu=83%, Au=43% and Mo=42%

Cortadera Mineral Resource Summary – reported by classification (using +0.25% CuEq cut-off grade) and by open pit (top), underground (middle) and total (bottom), 28th October 2021

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Copper Equivalent (CuEq) reported for the drill holes were calculated using the following formula: CuEq% = ((Cu% × Cu price 1% per tonne × Cu_recovery)+(Mo ppm × Mo price per g/t × Mo_recovery)+(Au ppm × Au price per g/t × Au_recovery)+ (Ag ppm × Ag price per g/t × Ag_recovery)) / (Cu price 1% per tonne). The Metal Prices applied in the calculation were: Cu=3.00 USD/lb, Au=1,550 USD/oz, Mo=12 USD/lb, and Ag=18 USD/oz. Average Metallurgical Recoveries used were: Cu=83%, Au=56%, Mo=82%, and Ag=37%

** Note: Silver (Ag) is only present within the Cortadera Mineral Resource estimate

Competent Person's Statement- Exploration Results

Exploration information in this Announcement is based upon work compiled by Mr Christian Easterday, the Managing Director and a full-time employee of Hot Chili Limited whom is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG). Mr Easterday has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a 'Competent Person' as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves' (JORC Code). Mr Easterday consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on their information in the form and context in which it appears.

Competent Person's Statement- Productora Mineral Resources

The information in this Announcement that relates to the Productora Project Mineral Resources, is based on information compiled by Mr N Ingvar Kirchner. Mr Kirchner is employed by AMC Consultants (AMC). AMC has been engaged on a fee for service basis to provide independent technical advice and final audit for the Productora Project Mineral Resource estimates. Mr Kirchner is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG). Mr Kirchner has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves' (the JORC Code 2012). Mr Kirchner consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on the source information in the form and context in which it appears.

Competent Person's Statement- Cortadera and Costa Fuego Mineral Resources

The information in this report that relates to Mineral Resources for the Cortadera and combined Costa Fuego Project is based on information compiled by Elizabeth Haren, a Competent Person who is a Member and Chartered Professional of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Elizabeth Haren is employed as an associate Principal Geologist of Wood, who was engaged by Hot Chili Limited. Elizabeth Haren has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the“Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves”. Elizabeth Haren consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based on her information in the form and context in which it appears. For further information on the Costa Fuego Project, refer to the technical report titled 'Resource Report for the Costa Fuego Technical Report', dated December 13, 2021, which is available for review under Hot Chili's profile at Reporting of Copper Equivalent

Copper Equivalent (CuEq) reported for the resource were calculated using the following formula: CuEq% = ((Cu% × Cu price 1% per tonne × Cu_recovery)+(Mo ppm × Mo price per g/t × Mo_recovery)+(Au ppm × Au price per g/t × Au_recovery)+ (Ag ppm × Ag price per g/t × Ag_recovery)) / (Cu price 1 % per tonne). The Metal Prices applied in the calculation were: Cu=3.00 USD/lb, Au=1,550 USD/oz, Mo=12 USD/lb, and Ag=18 USD/oz. For Cortadera (Inferred + Indicated), the average Metallurgical Recoveries were: Cu=83%, Au=56%, Mo=82%, and Ag=37%. For Productora (Inferred + Indicated), the average Metallurgical Recoveries were: Cu=83%, Au=43% and Mo=42%. For Costa Fuego (Inferred + Indicated), the average Metallurgical Recoveries were: Cu=83%, Au=51%, Mo=67% and Ag=23%.

About Hot Chili

Hot Chili Limited is a mineral exploration company with assets in Chile. The Company's flagship project, Costa Fuego, is the consolidation into a hub of the Cortadera porphyry copper-gold discovery and the Productora copper-gold deposit, set 14 km apart in an excellent location – low altitude, coastal range of Chile, infrastructure rich, low capital intensity.The Costa Fuego landholdings, contains an Indicated Resource of 391Mt grading 0.52% CuEq (copper equivalent), containing 1.7 Mt Cu, 1.5 Moz Au, 4.2 Moz Ag, and 37 kt Mo and an Inferred Resource of 334Mt grading 0.44% CuEq containing 1.2Mt Cu, 1.2 Moz Au, 5.6 Moz Ag and 27 kt Mo, at a cut-off grade of 0.25% CuEq.The Company is working to advance its Costa Fuego Project through a preliminary feasibility study (followed by a full FS and DTM), and test several high-priority exploration targets.

Certain statements contained in this news release, including information as to the future financial or operating performance of Hot Chili and its projects may include statements that are 'forward‐looking statements' which may include, amongst other things, statements regarding targets, estimates and assumptions in respect of mineral reserves and mineral resources and anticipated grades and recovery rates, production and prices, recovery costs and results, and capital expenditures and are or may be based on assumptions and estimates related to future technical, economic, market, political, social and other conditions.These forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Hot Chili, are inherently subject to significant technical, business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results reflected in such forward‐looking statements.

Hot Chili disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or release any revisions to any forward‐looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, circumstances or results or otherwise after the date of this news release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, other than as may be required by law. The words 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'indicate', 'contemplate', 'target', 'plan', 'intends', 'continue', 'budget', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'schedule' and similar expressions identify forward‐looking statements.

All forward‐looking statements made in this news release are qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. Investors are cautioned that forward‐looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward‐looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Neither the 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 news release.

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