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 the President of Ecuador has signed the eagerly anticipated pre-legislative consultation decree on November 28, 2022. This Decree will guide the formal comment for BacTech’s final community “environmental consultation” phase in order to secure its Environmental License.  For BacTech, this Decree builds on the ESIA Technical approval granted by the Government of Ecuador in October 2022 and the Investment Protection Agreement signed with the Government of Ecuador in April 2022 (see October 3, 2022 and May 2, 2022 BacTech news releases).

Upon completion of the comment process for the Regulation, which is expected shortly, the President of Ecuador is expected to enact the Regulation through Presidential Decree. From there, the Company expect two rounds of community consultations led by the Government of Ecuador. These community consultations are expected to be similar to the many community consultations led by BacTech since initiating plans to build a new owner-operated bioleaching facility in Tenguel, Ecuador.

According to the Ecuadorian Government’s current guidelines, after this pre-legislative consultation process, the Government will have a robust environmental consultation in accordance with the jurisprudential standards that govern the social participation process and guarantee the right of communities to active participation, which is the final component of the Environmental License.
 

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.