Copper Giant Initiates Next Phase Metallurgical Testing At Mocoa As Part Of Integrated Strategy for the 2026 PEA Advancement
VANCOUVER, BC, March 2, 2026 /CNW/ - Copper Giant Resources Corp. ("Copper Giant" or the "Company") (TSXV: CGNT) (OTCQB: LBCMF) (FRA: 29H0) is pleased to announce the engagement of Frank Wright as independent metallurgical consultant and the selection of SGS Canada ("SGS") as the certified and independent company to execute the next phase of metallurgical testing at its flagship Mocoa copper–molybdenum porphyry project in Putumayo, Colombia. Mocoa is a Jurassic age porphyry Cu-Mo deposit where drilling to date has delineated continuous copper and molybdenum mineralization from surface to depth exceeding 1,000 vertical metres. This program represents the continuation and expansion of the metallurgical work first reported in October 2025, where initial bench-scale flotation testing demonstrated rougher copper recoveries of up to 92% and rougher molybdenum recoveries of up to 97% from a representative composite sample. As previously stated, additional variability testing and more advanced circuit evaluation were identified as the logical next steps toward supporting a future Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"). The Company is now executing that next phase.
"Our initial metallurgical results confirmed that Mocoa responds well to conventional processing and exceeded recovery assumptions used in the resource model. As we stated at the time, variability and more advanced circuit testing were the next logical steps. This program is the continuation of that strategy. By strengthening metallurgical oversight and working with Frank and SGS, we are advancing toward PEA-level technical confidence in a disciplined and methodical way." – Edwin Naranjo Sierra, Vice-President of Exploration.
From Baseline Recoveries to Integrated Metallurgical Definition
Historical open-cycle metallurgical1 testing completed at Dawson Metallurgical Laboratories, produced a copper concentrate grading 24.2% Cu with a recovery of 85.9%, and a molybdenum concentrate grading 55.14% Mo with a recovery of 82.7%. Both concentrates were reported as clean and free of deleterious elements. These recoveries are considered more representative of the range that may be expected for marketable concentrate production and provide an appropriate benchmark for future economic evaluation scenarios.
More recent metallurgical testing established that Mocoa mineralization responds well to conventional flotation processing and confirmed chalcopyrite and molybdenite as the dominant recoverable minerals (refer to news release dated October 2, 2025). That initial campaign was based on a single ~130 kg composite and was designed to establish baseline rougher flotation performance and metallurgical response. While rougher recoveries demonstrated strong flotation kinetics, further cleaning-stage testing and circuit refinement are required to define recoveries associated with final, saleable concentrate grades. This is a critical parameter for economic evaluation. The newly initiated program builds directly on that foundation and expands the scope toward integrated, PEA-level metallurgical definition. Selection of ~675-kilograms has been prepared from representative crushed assay rejects distributed across the current Mineral Resource Estimate¹ ("MRE") footprint. The selection is based on individual assay intervals (primarily 2-metres in length), combined to form composites of at least 10 m, and was designed to capture variability in lithology, alteration, and grade domains relevant to potential PEA development scenarios.
The current phase of testing includes mineralogical characterization, grindability assessment, flotation circuit refinement, and supporting studies designed to strengthen process assumptions appropriate for PEA-level evaluation. The objective is to systematically evaluate metallurgical variability, integrate geological domains with process response and to better define the relationship between concentrate grade and recovery, recognizing that recovery assumptions must be evaluated in conjunction with the production of marketable copper and molybdenum concentrates. This staged and disciplined approach is consistent with industry's best practices for large-scale porphyry systems.
1 For further information refer to NI 43-101 Technical Report, entitled "Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for The Mocoa Project, Putumayo Department, Colombia", dated January 8, 2026, prepared by Michael Dufresne (P.Geo, P.Geol, MSc), Warren Black (MSc, P.Geo), Kevin Hon (BSc, P.Geo) and Chester de Leon (P.Eng), with an effective date of December 23, 2025. |
Strengthening Technical Oversight
Frank Wright has been engaged to oversee the design, supervision, and interpretation of this next-stage metallurgical program. His experience in copper porphyry systems and mineral processing evaluation enhances the integration between geology, metallurgy, and engineering assumptions. Following review of multiple proposals, SGS was selected as the certified and independent metallurgical laboratory based on technical capability, international experience in copper–molybdenum systems, and laboratory capacity. The program will be conducted at SGS's Canadian metallurgical facilities at Burnaby, BC and will be managed by PhD Jesse Ding (Senior Metallurgist).
Advancing Toward PEA-Level Technical Confidence
As outlined in the Company's 2026 Exploration Plan, Copper Giant is advancing drilling, geotechnical, hydrogeological, and metallurgical programs in parallel to systematically de-risk the Mocoa Project. While drilling expands and upgrades the resource base, this metallurgical phase ensures that processing assumptions evolve alongside geological confidence. The integration of these workstreams is intended to position Mocoa for a disciplined transition into PEA-level project evaluation.
Qualified Person and Technical Notes
Edwin Naranjo Sierra, Vice-President of Exploration for Copper Giant, is the designated Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. Mr. Naranjo holds an MSc. in Earth Sciences and is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (FAusIMM). Mr. Naranjo is not independent of the Company.
About F. Wright Consulting Inc
Frank Wright, P.Eng., is a seasoned metallurgical professional with over 40 years of experience in mineral processing, hydrometallurgy, and mine environmental consulting. As Principal of F. Wright Consulting Inc. since 1998, he has provided metallurgical and technical advisory services to numerous mining companies across North America and internationally. Mr. Wright's experience includes overseeing laboratory and pilot-scale metallurgical programs, flotation circuit development, comminution strategy, process design, and technical reporting. He has also contributed to environmental evaluations addressing acid rock drainage, tailings management, and related process considerations. He has served as an independent Qualified Person for multiple NI 43-101 technical reports and has supported junior and mid-tier mining companies through scoping, PEA, pre-feasibility, and feasibility stages.
Mr. Wright holds a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. His engagement at Mocoa provides independent metallurgical oversight and supports the advancement of process assumptions appropriate for PEA-level evaluation.
About SGS Canada Inc
SGS is a globally recognized testing, inspection, and certification company with more than 80 years of experience supporting the mining industry. Through its Metallurgy and Consulting division, SGS provides bankable metallurgical services for scoping, pre-feasibility, and feasibility studies across a wide range of commodities. Its global laboratory network offers advanced mineralogical characterization, comminution testing, flotation development, and process optimization services.
About the Mocoa Porphyry System
The Mocoa Project is located in Colombia's Department of Putumayo, approximately 10 kilometres from the town of Mocoa in the country's south. Copper Giant controls more than 132,499 Ha of district-scale tenure through granted titles and applications, covering a significant portion of the Jurassic porphyry belt--an underexplored and highly prospective metallogenic corridor within the northern Andes.
Mocoa was first identified in 1973 through a regional geochemical survey conducted by the United Nations and the Colombian government. Follow-up programs between 1978 and 1983 included geological mapping, IP and magnetic geophysics, surface sampling, drilling, and metallurgical testing. Subsequent drilling by B2Gold in 2008 and 2012 refined the geological interpretation and confirmed the large scale of the system.
The deposit is hosted in Middle Jurassic dacite and quartz-diorite porphyries intruding andesitic to dacitic volcanics of the Central Cordillera, a 30-kilometre-wide tectonic belt that extends into Ecuador and also contains major porphyry systems such as Mirador, Warintza, San Carlos, and Panantza. Mocoa exhibits classic porphyry-style zonation with a potassic core surrounded by sericite and propylitic alteration. Mineralization consists principally of disseminated chalcopyrite and molybdenite, accompanied locally by bornite and chalcocite, and is associated with stockwork veining and hydrothermal breccias.
A distinguishing geological feature of Mocoa is the presence of a fertile magmatic window spanning roughly ten million years, a prolonged and unusually productive interval of magma generation and evolution that is not commonly observed in other Jurassic porphyry systems within the same belt. This extended fertile period provides a compelling explanation for the system's large metal endowment, broad alteration footprint, and overlapping intrusive and hydrothermal events.
The deposit demonstrates more than 1,000 metres of vertical continuity, with multiple intrusive phases, brecciation episodes, and vein generations reflecting a dynamic and long-lived magmatic–hydrothermal evolution, likely influenced by more than one porphyry center. Mocoa remains open in all directions, and several satellite targets across the broader land package support the interpretation of a district-scale mineralized system.
Mocoa's Mineral Resource Estimate1 comprises Inferred resources of 12.7 billion pounds (Blbs) copper-equivalent (CuEq*) at an average grade of 0.51% CuEq*, including 7.7 Blbs of copper at 0.31% Cu and 1.0 Blbs of molybdenum at 0.039% Mo, within 1,120 million tonnes (Mt).
About Copper Giant
Copper Giant Resources Corp. is part of the Fiore Group, a private and well-established Canadian organization known for building successful, high-impact companies across the natural resource sector. Copper Giant was formed with a singular focus: to advance high-quality copper projects beyond resource definition--responsibly, efficiently, and with long-term positive impact.
The Company is led by a team with uncommon experience, having successfully taken some of the few major copper mines developed in the past two decades from discovery through to construction.
Copper Giant's current focus is the Mocoa copper-molybdenum deposit in southern Colombia, one of the largest undeveloped resources of its kind in the Americas. Recent exploration success has revealed potential well beyond its original footprint, highlighting Mocoa as a broader district-scale opportunity--and the catalyst for the Company's name and evolution.
Guided by the values of respect and responsibility, and grounded in its Good Neighbor philosophy, Copper Giant is committed to creating enduring values for all stakeholders and playing a meaningful role in the global energy transition.
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 release.
This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding the next step of metallurgical studies, the outcome of the Company's current resource expansion strategy; other activities and achievements of the Company, including but not limited to: the timing and success for the advancement of the Mocoa Project, the expansion of the Mocoa resource base; are to be considered forward looking. Although Copper Giant believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices and volatility with the Company's common shares, exploitation and exploration successes, uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates, risks of not achieving production, continued availability of capital and financing, processes, permits and filing requirements, risks related to operations in foreign and developing countries and compliance with foreign laws and including risks related to changes in foreign laws and changing policies related to mining and local ownership requirements in Colombia, and general economic, market, political or business conditions and regulatory and administrative approvals. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. Copper Giant does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
SOURCE COPPER GIANT RESOURCES CORP.
Additional Information: Ian Harris, Chief Executive Officer, [email protected], +1 303 956 2944; Tetiana Konstantynivska, Vice President Investor Relations, [email protected], +1 778 829 8455
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