NGEx Reports Q2 2025 Results; Porphyry and High-grade Gold Discoveries at Lunahuasi; Plan to Spin-out Royalties to Shareholders
VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 11, 2025 /CNW/ - NGEx Minerals Ltd. ("NGEx Minerals" "NGEx" or the "Company") (TSX:NGEX) (OTCQX:NGXXF) is pleased to report its results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025. PDF Version
Highlights for three months ended June 30, 2025 ("Q2 2025") and the subsequent period thereto, include the following, details of which are discussed later in the release:
Highly successful Phase 3 drill program continued to grow the Lunahuasi deposit. The Company successfully completed 25,003 metres of drilling in 24 holes during the Phase 3 drill program, confirming two significant new discoveries:Major new copper-gold porphyry system – Drillhole DPDH027 confirmed the presence of a predicted copper-gold porphyry system at Lunahuasi, adjacent to the high-grade copper-gold-silver high-sulphidation vein structures that were initially discovered at the project. The porphyry discovery opens an entirely new dimension to the project, comprising a very large-scale exploration target which holds the potential to significantly increase Lunahuasi's long-term value.Quartz veins with high-grade visible gold, Drillhole DPDH046 intersected two separate quartz veins containing ultra high-grade free gold. This new style of mineralization is rarely seen in high-sulphidation epithermal deposits but has accounted for a significant portion of the value at successful projects developed worldwide where it is present, such as the El Indio mine located 150 kilometres to the southwest. The exceptional gold grades intersected thus far suggest that substantial additional value creation may be possible within only a relatively small, mineralized volume, which greatly increases the gold potential of the Lunahuasi deposit. The full extent of this new style of mineralization has not yet been defined, and the Company will prioritize, among other things, follow-up drilling to test this exciting new exploration target in the upcoming program.
NGEx plans to spin-out royalties on its flagship assets to shareholders. On July 22, 2025, the Company announced its intention to spin-out net smelter return ("NSR") royalties on its Lunahuasi and Los Helados Projects, that will be held by a wholly-owned subsidiary of NGEx ("RoyaltyCo") by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act (the "Arrangement"). If all requisite approvals are obtained, including those required from NGEx shareholders and the Toronto Stock Exchange, each shareholder of NGEx will receive 1/4 of a share of RoyaltyCo for each share of NGEx held as of the Share Distribution Record Date (as defined below) and NGEx will retain a 19.9% interest in RoyaltyCo. RoyaltyCo intends to apply to list its shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") following completion of the Arrangement. Such listing will be subject to it fulfilling all of the listing requirements of the TSXV. The creation and spin-out of RoyaltyCo is designed to allow NGEx Shareholders to capture additional long-term value from the Lunahuasi and Los Helados projects through the royalties, while NGEx continues to focus on advancing the projects through further exploration efforts.
Wojtek Wodzicki, President and CEO, commented, "We take great pride in the outstanding value that NGEx and its predecessors have unlocked and delivered to shareholders over the years through successful exploration and the execution of thoughtful corporate transactions including past spin-outs that have created tremendous value for our shareholders. Our work during this past quarter is the latest example of this continuing endeavor. Phase 3 drilling at Lunahuasi has been a resounding success, with the final assays of the program confirming two new discoveries, each having the potential to further augment what is already a remarkable deposit: a copper-gold porphyry system and a new zone of quartz veins hosting ultra high-grade free gold. This past season of drilling at Lunahuasi has reconfirmed the unique nature of the deposit, which continues surprising to the upside, and we are eager to get back into the field in October to follow up on the findings of the recent campaign.
On the corporate front, we are advancing the previously proposed spin-out of royalty assets on Lunahuasi and Los Helados. If completed, the Arrangement will continue to give shareholders exposure to our keystone assets in the emerging Vicuña District, while also providing a ground level opportunity to participate in a new and exciting investment opportunity in the royalty space that will be led by an experienced leadership team, that we have begun to assemble, with a mandate to grow and diversify its portfolio."
Q2 2025 Operating Highlights and Outlook
Successful Phase 3 Lunahuasi Program Results in Two New Discoveries
The Company successfully completed its Phase 3 drill program at Lunahuasi, located in San Juan, Argentina, in early May 2025, with 25,003 metres completed in 24 holes, including three geotechnical holes designed to support the Company's analysis of a conceptual underground exploration adit at Lunahuasi. The final assays from the Phase 3 program were released by the Company on July 8, 2025.
The program accomplished its main objectives of testing the Lunahuasi deposit at three target scales:
Long-range exploration holes (+300m spacing) were big step-outs that tested for significant extensions of mineralization to the north, south, and west;
Mid-range step out holes (50-300m spacing) explored for extensions of the mineralized zone in all directions and started to fill in large gaps in the drill pattern; and
Short-range infill holes (30-50m spacing) tested the short-range variability of mineralized structures and high-grade zones and confirmed the main structural orientations.
Throughout the Phase 3 campaign, drillholes at all three target scales consistently intersected high-grade vein-hosted mineralization across considerable widths and significantly contributed to improvements in the geological understanding of the structures that form the original Lunahuasi discovery, which continue to be the near-term exploration priority at the project. The final assay results from the Phase 3 program confirmed the discovery of a new copper-gold porphyry system at Lunahuasi (see News Release dated May 21, 2025) and the discovery of a third, distinct type of mineralization at the project with ultra high-grade visible gold in quartz veins (see News Release dated July 8, 2025).
Drillhole DPDH027 was drilled across the high-sulphidation epithermal structures before discovering a new zone of porphyry copper-gold mineralization at approximately 1,262 metres downhole. The hole was drilled to a final depth of 2,005 metres, where it ended in mineralization, returning 1,619.4 metres at 0.87% copper equivalent ("CuEq") (0.52% Cu, 0.32 g/t Au, 13.2 g/t Ag) including a porphyry intersection of 743.00 metres at 0.56% CuEq (0.44% Cu, 0.13 g/t Au, 2.3 g/t Ag), which included:
18.00 metres at 2.68% CuEq (2.46% Cu, 0.18 g/t Au, 10.3 g/t Ag); and
17.80 metres at 1.23% CuEq (1.01% Cu, 0.24 g/t Au, 5.5 g/t Ag).
While the full scale of the Lunahuasi porphyry system remains unknown, another Phase 3 drillhole, DPDH029, ended in argillic alteration associated with the high-sulphidation system overprinting early porphyry veins, some 500 metres south of the intersection in DPDH027, illustrating the size potential of the porphyry discovery. Importantly, this discovery has opened up an entirely new dimension to Lunahuasi and significantly increases the long-term potential of the project.
Drillhole DPDH046 resulted in the discovery of ultra high-grade free gold in quartz veins, which is a new style of mineralization at Lunahuasi. Highlights include:
2.20 metres at 142.27 g/t Au from 467.10m, plus
3.60 metres at 245.39 g/t Au from 520.00m
The discovery of this third distinct style of mineralization at Lunahuasi is potentially transformative for the project, as several renowned mines around the world have been built around high-grade gold quartz veins. While the size and extent of the quartz veins have yet to be confirmed, the remarkably high-grades observed in DPDH046 allude to the possibility that a relatively small volume of this gold-dominant mineralization could add a substantial amount of value to Lunahuasi. Following up on this third Lunahuasi discovery will be a key objective of the Company's upcoming Phase 4 drill program.
The Company is now completing its analysis of the geological data collected during the Phase 3 campaign and refining the geological model at Lunahuasi. Planning for the Company's upcoming Phase 4 exploration program at Lunahuasi is well advanced, with a start date currently anticipated for around October 2025.
Further details, such as the copper equivalent formula, can be found in the "Qualified Persons and Technical Notes" section of this news release.
Proposed Spin-out of NSR Royalties on Lunahuasi and Los Helados
The Company has caused a royalty purchase agreement to be entered into between a newly incorporated, wholly-owned subsidiary ("RoyaltyCo") and the subsidiary that currently holds the Nacimiento I concession, which will result in a 1% NSR royalty on the Nacimiento I concession being granted to RoyaltyCo (the "Lunahuasi Royalty") in exchange for cash consideration. NGEx's 100% owned Lunahuasi Project, as currently defined, is located on the Nacimiento I concession.
In addition, ...
