Record Quarters, Zero Relief: Copper’s Gap Keeps Growing

Issued on behalf of Salazar Resources Ltd.

Equity-Insider.com News Commentary

VANCOUVER, BC, May 8, 2026 /CNW/ — Global copper smelters are now paying mines for the privilege of buying their concentrate, with spot treatment charges collapsing to negative $70 per tonne by late March^[1]. That is not a typo. The feed that keeps refineries running is so scarce that the traditional pricing relationship has flipped on its head, and executives at the Financial Times Commodities Global Summit confirmed in April that declining ore grades, ballooning capital costs, and permitting timelines stretching beyond a decade are choking off new supply precisely when electrification needs it most^[2]. This structural bottleneck is directing capital toward companies that already hold permitted, drill-tested ground in proven copper belts: Salazar Resources (TSXV: SRL) (OTCQB: SRLZF), Ero Copper (NYSE: ERO) (TSX: ERO), Capstone Copper (TSX: CS) (OTCPK: CSCCF), Hot Chili (TSXV: HCH) (OTCQX: HHLKF), and Hudbay Minerals (NYSE: HBM) (TSX: HBM).

J.P. Morgan’s April outlook holds copper above $11,100 per tonne even under bearish scenarios, pointing to constrained project pipelines and ongoing mine shutdowns that show no sign of easing^[3]. The exploration side of the market is already repricing around that view: British Columbia posted a record $751 million in mineral exploration spending for 2025, with copper overtaking gold as the province’s top target for the first time on record, as institutional capital rotates into large porphyry systems that can deliver scale into a widening deficit^[4].

Salazar Resources (TSXV: SRL) (OTCQB: SRLZF) has consolidated 100% ownership of its Santiago copper-gold project in southern Ecuador, bringing together a target that three decades of exploration data say could be significant. The 2,350-hectare concession sits in the Western Cordillera of the Ecuadorian Andes, where historical drilling, airborne geophysics, and recent surface sampling have outlined a coincident geochemical and geophysical anomaly measuring roughly 3 km by 2 km. The critical detail: the core of the interpreted porphyry system at depth has never been drill-tested.

Previous operators touched only the near-surface lithocap. Newmont drilled three shallow holes in the 1990s and hit broad copper-gold mineralization, including 323 metres grading 0.23% copper and 0.40 g/t gold in one hole, and 268 metres grading 0.24% copper and 0.43 g/t gold in another. Those results are encouraging on their own, but what makes Santiago stand out is that the mineralization was widening and strengthening toward the bottom of the holes, suggesting something larger sits below.

A 2019 airborne MobileMT geophysical survey added another layer of confirmation, identifying a large, coherent conductivity anomaly beneath the lithocap consistent with a sulphide-rich porphyry system. A follow-up surface sampling campaign in 2021 and 2022 collected 1,477 rock chip samples across the property. Within the 599-sample anomalous core zone, 47% returned copper values above 250 ppm and 34% returned gold above 0.11 g/t, with individual samples reaching as high as 21.1 g/t gold and 0.9% copper. High-grade epithermal veins on the property added further appeal, with rock chip samples returning up to 28.1 g/t gold and 252 g/t silver.

Santiago is one of several advancing projects for the company. Salazar Resources recently completed the acquisition of four copper-gold exploration properties from Silvercorp Metals, and earlier this year identified a high-priority copper-gold porphyry target at its Monja Project, where the best rock chip sample returned 4.77% copper and 1.12 g/t gold. On the development side, Salazar Resources holds a 25% carried interest in the El Domo copper-gold mine, now under construction on a US$284 million budget with production targeted for July 2027.

With a pipeline that spans early-stage exploration through near-production development, Salazar Resources is building exposure across multiple stages of the mining value chain in one of South America’s most active copper-gold jurisdictions. The company maintains a wholly owned portfolio of projects in Ecuador, backed by a local team with a track record that includes involvement in several of the country’s major discoveries.

Read this and more news for Salazar Resources at: https://equity-insider.com/2026/03/18/a-3-billion-partner-is-building-this-copper-gold-mine-salazar-keeps-25/

Other industry developments and happenings in the market include:

Ero Copper (NYSE: ERO) (TSX: ERO) reported record Q4 2025 copper production of 19,706 tonnes in concentrate, bringing full-year 2025 production to 64,307 tonnes at a C1 cash cost of $2.06 per pound produced. Full-year adjusted EBITDA increased nearly 90% year-on-year to $409.7 million, with cash flow from operations rising 171.7% to $395.1 million and net income attributable to owners reaching $263.7 million, or $2.53 per diluted share.

“We are pleased with our operating trajectory and performance in the fourth quarter, which delivered record quarterly copper production as well as the first tangible benefits of record quarterly gold from the Xavantina Operations following the commencement of our gold concentrate program in Q4,” said Makko DeFilippo, President and CEO of Ero Copper. “The investments we made across our operations in 2025 translated into higher copper and gold production, stronger cash generation and an improved balance sheet through year-end.”

Available liquidity at year-end was $150.4 million, with net debt leverage strengthening to 1.2x from 2.6x at the end of 2024 on the back of a $193.5 million year-on-year improvement in adjusted EBITDA. Ero Copper is reaffirming its 2026 guidance with consolidated copper production weighted toward the second half driven by mine sequencing and higher expected throughput at its Caraíba and Tucumã operations.

Capstone Copper (TSX: CS) (OTCPK: CSCCF) reported Q4 2025 copper production of 58,273 tonnes at a C1 cash cost of $2.31/lb, with full-year 2025 production of 224,764 tonnes at $2.44/lb, representing a 22% increase over 2024. Q4 adjusted EBITDA set a quarterly record at $308 million and revenue reached a new all-time high, reflecting completed project ramp-ups at Mantoverde and Cozamin.

“2025 was an inflection point for Capstone, representing tangible delivery on peer leading growth with our copper production up 22%,” said Cashel Meagher, President and CEO of Capstone Copper. “Operationally, we met our consolidated production and cost guidance, driving record EBITDA generation. As we began to realize the benefits from completed projects, we also advanced our future phases of growth by sanctioning and beginning construction on Mantoverde Optimized, forming a partnership for our Santo Domingo Project, and initiating a new exploration program in the Mantoverde-Santo Domingo district.”

Capstone Copper is advancing the Mantoverde Optimized expansion in Chile and the Santo Domingo partnership toward a sanctioning decision, with 2026 operational focus on delivering dependable results as the company progresses its district growth strategy through exploration.

Hot Chili (TSXV: HCH) (OTCQX: HHLKF) recorded its widest drill intercept to date at the La Verde copper-gold porphyry discovery within the 100%-owned Costa Fuego project in Chile’s coastal Atacama region, with hole DKD039 intersecting 725m grading 0.42% CuEq from 18m depth. The result includes 62m grading 1.03% CuEq from 671m depth, extending La Verde’s high-grade core approximately 200m down-dip, and a shallower 22m interval grading 0.71% CuEq from 42m that expands the emerging higher-grade starter pit.

Two drill rigs are now operating at La Verde with a third planned for mobilization in May, as Hot Chili accelerates definition of the starter pit geometry and integration of La Verde’s growing high-grade core into Costa Fuego’s broader resource base and mining inventory. Eleven additional holes across four diamond and seven reverse circulation holes are pending assay results, with Hot Chili focused on delivering a resource update and starter pit definition at Costa Fuego in 2026.

Hudbay Minerals (NYSE: HBM) (TSX: HBM) released updated mineral reserve estimates and a three-year production outlook projecting a 24% increase in consolidated copper production through 2028, driven by mine life extensions at three operations: Constancia extended to 2040, Snow Lake to 2041, and Copper Mountain to 2045. The company is also advancing Copper World toward a sanctioning decision in 2026 and integrating the Cactus project through the strategic acquisition of Arizona Sonoran.

“Our updated mineral reserve estimates and three-year production outlook demonstrate Hudbay‘s continued success from our exploration initiatives and an improved copper and gold production profile from our three long life operations in tier one mining jurisdictions in the Americas,” said Peter Kukielski, President and CEO of Hudbay Minerals. “With our newly released guidance through 2028, consolidated copper production is expected to increase by 24%, complemented by continued strong gold exposure.”

Hudbay Minerals operates copper and gold mines in Peru, Canada, and the United States, with the updated reserves and production outlook reflecting the company’s strategy of brownfield exploration, mine life extension, and organic growth across its three long-life asset base.

FURTHER READING: https://equity-insider.com/2026/03/18/a-3-billion-partner-is-building-this-copper-gold-mine-salazar-keeps-25/

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SOURCES:

1. https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/2026/04/copper-gold-market-outlook-2026-prices-supply-mining-costs 
2. https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/copper-supply-lags-demand-as-permitting-delays-lower-grades-policy/ 
3. https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/global-research/commodities/copper-outlook 
4. https://www.canadianminingreport.com/blog/bc-exploration-spending-hits-record-high-as-copper-demand-surges-what-it-means-for-investors

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