BacTech Environmental Corporation (CSE: BAC) (OTC: BCCEF) (FSE: 0BT1) a commercially proven environmental technology company delivering eco-friendly bioleaching and remediation solutions for precious metal and critical mineral recovery, is pleased to announce that further to its acquisition and closing of the 100-acre (40 ha) land package for its proposed processing plant in Tenguel, Ecuador, the Company has introduced a unique shared land management program that will see on-site cocoa farming continue with proceeds from all cocoa sales being retained by the former employees of the purchased land.

Strategically situated to meet the processing needs of 130+ area gold mining cooperatives and companies, the property was recently reclassified from agricultural to industrial in order to serve as a regional gold and silver processing hub. However, understanding the sensitivity of this transaction with former employees and noting that approximately 80% of the farm’s 1,500 producing cocoa trees will remain untouched during Phase 1 plant development, BacTech created and signed an agreement with the workers to allow them to continue operating the farm.

“When we initially visited this site, we quickly realized that there was more than just our own business interests at stake. The rights of the local workers to earn a living were essentially staring us in the face,” said Ross Orr, President and CEO of BacTech. “We saw an opportunity to harmonize the goals of providing environmental, economic, and social opportunities that benefit the community, and decided to incorporate a plan that would minimize disruption and make optimal use of the land resources available. This agreement illustrates our commitment to operate as a socially conscious company that can co-exist with a local community and contribute to sustainable rural development.”

The farmers will remain independent from BacTech and will not be employees of the Company at this time. BacTech and the workers will agree to a series of six month contracts that will be subject to review after each period. In the event BacTech opts to expand the plant footprint to process considerably more concentrate, the workers would be offered future employment with the Company.

The Ponce Enriquez mining area is characterized by very high grades of refractory arsenopyrite-rich material. BacTech will continue to selectively negotiate for the purchase of additional high gold/arsenic concentrates.  The intent is to return local miner compensation back to previous payment levels prior to severe price declines resulting from Chinese government-directed import taxes placed on inbound arsenic gold concentrates.  Presently, area miners have no choice but to sell their production at reduced prices to offshore buyers. BacTech intends to eliminate financial penalties charged for arsenic and consequently pay better prices for the miners’ material.

About the Tenguel – Ponce Enriquez Bioleaching Project

BacTech is planning to build a new owner-operated bioleaching facility in Tenguel, Ecuador, in a region where arsenic is associated with gold ore (Arsenopyrite). The Company’s plan is to build a 50 tpd bioleach plant capable of treating high gold/arsenic material. A 50 tpd plant, processing feed of 1.75 ounces of gold per tonne, similar to feeds available to the Company from local miners, would produce approximately 31,000 ounces per year. Plant designs are modular and can be expanded without affecting ongoing production. The total concentrate market in the Ponce Enriquez area is estimated to be between 200 and 250 tonnes per day, allowing for increased throughput potential with a larger plant.

Key economic highlights, assuming a base gold price @ $1,600 per ounce:

• Pre-tax NPV (Net Present Value with 5% discount rate) of $60.7M
• Pre-tax IRR (Internal Rate of Return) of 57.9%
• Annual Gold Production of 30,900 ounces
• Capital Cost of $17M
• Bioleach Operating Cost of $212 per tonne
• Assumed Purchase Prices of Concentrate – 65% of the contained gold value
• Pre-tax Earnings Prior to Employee Bonus – $10.9M annually
• Estimated local employee bonus pool – $1.64M

In total, there are over 90 small mines operating in the area. BacTech continues to investigate the prospects of establishing additional modern bioleaching facilities across other areas of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Where possible, the Company will partner with national and local governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others to assist with the funding of these projects and ensure that they meet the Company’s high expectations not only for environmental standards, but also for the highest standards in all ESG considerations.
About BacTech Environmental Corporation

BacTech is a proven environmental technology company, delivering effective and eco-friendly bioleaching and remediation solutions to commercial operations to process and recover preferred metals (gold, silver, cobalt, nickel and copper) smartly and safely remove and transform harmful contaminants like arsenic into benign EPA-approved products for landfill. Tapping into numerous environmental and economic advantages of its proprietary method of bioleaching, BacTech uses naturally occurring bacteria, harmless to both humans and the environment, to neutralize toxic mining sites with high-pay potential.