Atico Produces 2.09 Million Pounds of Cu and 2,108 Ounces of Au in First Quarter 2026
Atico Mining Corporation (TSX-V: ATY) (OTCQX: ATCMF) announces its operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2026 from its El Roble mine. Production for the quarter totaled 2.09 million pounds of copper and 2,108 ounces of gold in concentrates, a decrease of 6% for copper and an increase of 36% for gold, respectively, over the same period in 2025.
“The El Roble mine performed slightly below plan during the quarter, even though gold production was above budget. We achieved a competitive operating cost and clear improvements are already visible in the second period as operations are back on track to meet our full-year guidance,” said Fernando E. Ganoza, CEO. “During the quarter, we successfully completed the sale of two concentrate shipments, combined with record metal prices, positions us to deliver robust financial results.”
First Quarter Operational Highlights
Production of 2.09 million pounds of copper contained in concentrates; a decrease of 6% over Q1 2025.
Production of 2,108 ounces of gold contained in concentrates; an increase of 36% over Q1 2025.
Average processed tonnes per day of 734, a decrease of 5% over Q1 2025.
Copper head grade of 1.86%, a decrease of 6% over Q1 2025.
Gold head grade of 1.69 grams per tonne; an increase of 20% over Q1 2025.
Copper and gold recovery of 91.0% and 69.1%; a decrease of 3% for copper and an increase of 10% for gold, over Q1 2025.
First Quarter Operational Details
| Q1 2026 Total | Q1 2025 Total | % Change | |||||
| Production(Contained in Concentrates) | |||||||
| Copper (000s pounds) | 2,090 | 2,230 | -6 | % | |||
| Gold (ounces) | 2,108 | 1,553 | 36 | % | |||
| Mine | |||||||
| Tonnes of ore mined | 56,629 | 56,467 | Nil | ||||
| Mill | |||||||
| Tonnes processed | 56,033 | 54,978 | 2 | % | |||
| Tonnes processed per day | 734 | 773 | -5 | % | |||
| Copper grade (%) | 1.86 | 1.97 | -6 | % | |||
| Gold grade (g/t) | 1.69 | 1.40 | 20 | % | |||
| Recoveries | |||||||
| Copper (%) | 91.0 | 93.6 | -3 | % | |||
| Gold (%) | 69.1 | 62.7 | 10 | % | |||
| Concentrates | |||||||
| Copper and Gold Concentrates (dmt) | 5,223 | 5,763 | -9 | % | |||
| Payable copper produced (000s lbs) | 1,967 | 2,091 | -6 | % | |||
Note: Metal production figures are subject to adjustments based on final settlement. The reported results are preliminary in nature and are awaiting independent lab verification.
Concentrate Inventory
The number of shipments the Company can export in any given quarter depends on several variables some of which the Company does not control, hence there may be an inherent variability in tonnes shipped quarter to quarter.
| Q1 2026 | ||
| Amounts in dry metric tonnes | ||
| Opening inventory | 4,832 | |
| Production | 5,223 | |
| Sales | -8,789 | |
| Adjustments | 0 | |
| Closing inventory | 1,266 | |
| Number of shipments | 2 |
Note: Concentrate figures are subject to adjustments based on final surveys and final settlement of sales.
El Roble Mine
The El Roble mine is a high grade, underground copper and gold mine with nominal processing plant capacity of 1,000 tonnes per day, located in the Department of Choco in Colombia. Its commercial product is a copper-gold concentrate.
Since obtaining control of the mine on November 22, 2013, Atico has upgraded the operation from a historical nominal capacity of 400 tonnes per day.
El Roble’s reserves estimate, with an effective date of March 12, 2024, includes Proven and Probable mineral reserves of 828 thousand tonnes averaging 2.49% Cu, 2.20 g/t Au and a life of mine until Q1-2027. A full NI 43-101 technical report is available on SEDAR+. For more information on the reserves estimate refer to SEDAR+ and on the Company’s website.
Mineralization is open at depth and along strike and the Company plans to further test the limits of the deposit. On the larger land package, the Company has identified a prospective stratigraphic contact between volcanic rocks and black and grey pelagic sediments and cherts that has been traced by Atico geologists for ten kilometers. This contact has been determined to be an important control on VMS mineralization on which Atico has identified numerous target areas prospective for VMS type mineralization occurrence, which is the focus of the current surface drill program at El Roble.
Qualified Person
Mr. Thomas Kelly (SME Registered Member 1696580), advisor to the Company and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 standards, is responsible for ensuring that the technical information contained in this news release is an accurate summary of the original reports and data provided to or developed by Atico.
About Atico Mining Corporation
Atico is a growth-oriented Company, focused on exploring, developing and mining copper and gold projects in Latin America. The Company generates significant cash flow through the operation of the El Roble mine and is developing its high-grade La Plata VMS project in Ecuador. The Company is also pursuing additional acquisition of advanced stage opportunities. For more information, please visit www.aticomining.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Fernando E. Ganoza
CEO
Atico Mining Corporation
Trading symbols: TSX.V: ATY | OTCQX: ATCMF
Investor Relations
Igor Dutina
Tel: +1.604.633.9022
