IMPACT Silver Contracts Bell Internacional to Provide Tesla Battery Energy System with Solar at the Plomosas Mine
Vancouver, January 9, 2024 - Impact Silver Corp. (TSXV: IPT) (OTCQB: ISVLF) (FSE: IKL) ("IMPACT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its Plomosas high-grade zinc mine, located in the State of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, has entered into a managed services contract with Bell Internacional de Mexico/TTN Energia for the planning, design, construction, and operation of Tesla Corp.'s commercial battery with solar, energy efficiency platform, expected to meaningfully reduce its operating costs and eliminate nearly all carbon emissions associated with round-the-clock, diesel powered generators.
The platform will provide a sustainable and green energy efficiency solution, using off-grid, PV (solar) green electrical energy generation and AI-controlled battery storage systems, that will cut nearly 90% the annual 2,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from diesel fuel combustion, thereby dramatically reducing IMPACT's carbon footprint at Plomosas.
About the Tesla Battery System with Solar
Clean electricity from a 2,200 kW solar plant will be supplied to an intelligent software controlled microgrid, equipped with a Tesla Megapack 2 XL 4-hour, 960 kW battery energy storage system (BESS), and continuously delivered to the load centers of the Plomosas mine, for current and future power demand requirements. The system will offer substantial power and expansion capacity for a near doubling of production from current design capacity levels.
Existing diesel generators will be kept onsite and activated automatically for occasional power generation support on consecutive cloudy or rainy days, and emergency backup. Notwithstanding, the battery's charge, which will be "topped up" regularly throughout daylight hours year-round, will be able to provide non-stop, clean power for up to 24 hours per day under current mine operation capacity.
Financial Implications
Immediate cost savings will take effect as contract pricing is based on a percentage of savings linked to the reduction of annual diesel usage, with "minimum saving safeguards" established to protect IMPACT should the price of diesel decline below an agreed upon "baseline" price that would otherwise reduce the amount of diesel cost savings to the Company.
Along with labour, diesel fuel is one of the largest operating costs at the Plomosas mine. No material capex is required by the Company for this project and savings are expected to amount to approximately 30-45% of the Company's current annual diesel input costs at Plomosas once the system is fully operational.
The Company anticipates the project to be fully integrated across the operation, providing nearly all the required power requirements to the Plomosas mine and plant by mid-Q2/2024.
President and CEO, Fred Davidson said, "We are thrilled to partner with world class contractors including Bell Internacional and TTN Energia, backed by the world-leading innovators at Tesla as we become the first truly green mining project. Shareholders can look forward to substantial cost savings and improving profit margins, as we solidify our position as a high-grade, low-cost zinc producer. Our first mover advantage will allow IMPACT to meaningfully reduce its carbon emissions while attracting the attention of potential partners, including some the world's most significant mining companies as we focus on growing production and exploration activity in 2024."
ABOUT IMPACT SILVER
Impact Silver Corp. (TSXV: IPT) is a successful producer-explorer with two mining projects in Mexico.
Plomosas Zinc-Lead-Silver District: Plomosas is a high-grade zinc producer in northern Mexico with exceptional exploration upside potential. The Company re-commenced operations in late 2023 and has plans for expansion in 2024. Exploration potential at Plomosas is exceptional with only 600m of the 6 km-long structure having been explored to date. This is in addition to other exploration targets on the 3,019-hectare property including untested copper-gold targets with indications of high-grade material from surface. Regionally, Plomosas lies in the same mineral belt as some of the largest carbonate replacement deposits in the world.
Royal Mines of Zacualpan Silver-Gold District: IMPACT owns 100% of the 211 km2 Zacualpan project in central Mexico where four underground silver mines and one open pit mine feed the central 500 tpd Guadalupe processing plant. To the south, the Capire Project includes a 200 tpd processing pilot plant adjacent to an open pit silver mine with an NI 43-101 inferred mineral resource of over 4.5 million oz silver, 48 million lbs zinc and 21 million lbs lead. (see IMPACT news release dated January 18, 2016, for details and QP statement). The Company's engineers are reviewing Capire for a potential restart of operations to leverage improving commodity prices. Over the past 17 years, IMPACT has developed multiple exploration zones into commercial production and has produced over 12 million ounces of silver, generating revenue more than $256 million.
Qualified Person and NI 43-101 Disclosure
George Gorzynski, P.Eng., a Director and officer of Impact Silver Corp., is a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of NI 43-101, and has approved the technical information in this news release.
On behalf of Impact Silver Corp.
"Frederick W. Davidson"
President & CEO
For more information, please contact:
Jerry Huang
CFO | Investor Relations
(604) 664-7707 or inquiries@impactsilver.com
(778) 887 6489 Direct
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This IMPACT News Release may contain certain "forward-looking" statements and information relating to IMPACT that is based on the beliefs of IMPACT management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to IMPACT management. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to future silver prices, interpretation of drill results, future work plans, the potential of the Company's projects, and potential and plans for the Plomosas project, are forward looking statements. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "planned", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.
Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks and assumptions, including with respect to, without limitations, exploration and development risks, expenditure and financing requirements, title matters, operating hazards, metal prices, political and economic factors, competitive factors, general economic conditions, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulation and supervision, seasonality, technological change, industry practices, and one-time events. Should any one or more risks or uncertainties materialize or change, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and forward-looking statements may vary materially from those described herein. IMPACT does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.
The Company's decision to place a mine into production, expand a mine, make other production related decisions, or otherwise carry out mining and processing operations, is largely based on internal non-public Company data and reports based on exploration, development and mining work by the Company's geologists and engineers. The results of this work are evident in the discovery and building of multiple mines for the Company and in the track record of mineral production and financial returns of the Company since 2006. Under NI 43-101 the Company is required to disclose that it has not based its production decisions on NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource or reserve estimates, preliminary economic assessments, or feasibility studies, and historically such projects have increased uncertainty and risk of failure.
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