Lunahuasi receives environmental approval in San Juan to build exploration tunnel

San Juan’s mining authority approved the environmental impact declaration for an exploration tunnel at NGEx Minerals’ Lunahuasi project, a key step in advancing the evaluation of its copper, gold and silver deposit.

San Juan’s mining authority has approved the Environmental Impact Declaration for the construction of an exploration tunnel at NGEx Minerals’ Lunahuasi project, marking a key step forward for one of the highest-grade copper, gold and silver systems in the Vicuña district.

The approval allows the company to move ahead with the development of an underground access that will support a deeper geological evaluation of the deposit and provide critical information for future development stages.

Underground access to support technical studies

According to the company, the exploration tunnel will be a strategic piece of infrastructure for advancing the project. It will provide direct access to high-grade material for metallurgical and engineering studies, while also enabling year-round underground drilling and improving the geological understanding of the deposit.

NGEx Minerals President and CEO Wojtek Wodzicki said the tunnel represents a crucial milestone for the project, as it will help accelerate technical evaluation and improve the definition of Lunahuasi’s mineralized system.

Next step in the project’s development

At the same time, the company said it will continue working on additional sectoral permits in coordination with provincial and national authorities.

According to NGEx Minerals, the goal is to begin underground development in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to receiving the remaining approvals.

The underground access will also support definition drilling, geotechnical assessments and further sampling, all of which will be important in determining the long-term development potential of Lunahuasi within the Vicuña district, one of the most significant copper regions in the province.

A new milestone for the Vicuña district

The environmental approval strengthens Lunahuasi’s position within the Vicuña district, an area that has gained increasing attention for its copper, gold and silver potential.

For NGEx Minerals, the permit marks an important transition from surface exploration toward a more advanced underground evaluation stage, helping the company gather the technical data needed for future project decisions.