VANCOUVER, BC (By Luca Mining Corp., 13.Oct.2026, Words: 494) — Luca Mining Corp. reported production results for the 3 months ended 30 Sep. 2026.
Campo Morado
At Campo Morado, higher grades and improved metallurgical recoveries contributed to increased quarter-over-quarter production and sales of gold, silver and zinc.
Higher grades reflected access to higher-grade stopes during the quarter, while improved recoveries were supported in part by the company’s recently implemented stockpiling and mill feed blending strategy, alongside refinements to its reagent blend.
Copper production and sales declined quarter-over-quarter due to lower copper feed grades.
Tahuehueto
At Tahuehueto, temporarily reduced access to higher-grade stopes resulted in lower quarter-over-quarter feed grades across all metals.
Although metallurgical recoveries improved modestly, these gains did not offset the impact of lower grades, resulting in reduced production and sales volumes during the quarter.
Cash balance
As at 30 Sep.2026, Luca had a cash balance of approximately $19.1mn, compared to $24.7mn as at 30 Jun. 2026. The decrease primarily reflected lower sales volumes, lower realized gold and silver prices, elevated costs related to corporate development activities, and continued investment in underground development, infrastructure and exploration across the company’s operating assets.
During the quarter, Luca also continued to strengthen its operational team in preparation for the anticipated acquisition of the Cozamin Mine, contributing to higher costs during the period.
Exploration update
During the third quarter of 2026, the company completed approximately 12,100m of drilling, bringing total drilling completed during the first nine months of 2026 to approximately 33,700 metres.
Exploration activities remained focused on near-mine and resource expansion targets, with the objective of supporting future resource growth, extending mine life and improving production flexibility at the company’s operating assets.
CEO commentary
“While production at Tahuehueto was impacted by temporarily reduced access to higher-grade mining areas during the quarter, we were encouraged by the progress at Campo Morado, where higher grades and improved metallurgical recoveries contributed to stronger gold, silver and zinc production,” stated Dan Barnholden, CEO of Luca Mining. “We are beginning to see the benefits of our stockpiling and mill feed optimization strategy at Campo Morado, which is improving feed consistency and supporting better recoveries ahead of the anticipated improvements from the Campo Morado Expansion.”
“At Tahuehueto, our focus remains on improving underground development and access to higher-grade mining areas, while continuing to advance operational efficiencies. Despite softer production and sales volumes during the quarter, we remain committed to investing in our operations and exploration programs to support longer-term growth.”
“Beyond our existing operations, the recently announced agreements to acquire the Cozamin Mine from Capstone Copper and the El Barqueño Project from Agnico Eagle represent significant milestones in Luca’s growth strategy. These transactions have the potential to immediately increase our production and cash flow profile while adding substantial exploration and development opportunities to our portfolio. We are excited about the next chapter for Luca as we work toward completing these acquisitions and continue building a larger, more diversified polymetallic mining company in Mexico.”
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