The start of drilling will be postponed a few weeks due to logistical reasons, in parallel with the activation of El Destino, Sofi, and Cuprum following environmental and legislative approvals.
By Panorama Minero
The El Perdido project, the most advanced in the Malargüe Western Mining District (MDMO), has delayed the start of its first diamond drilling campaign by a couple of weeks due to delays in the completion of the access road. In parallel, the Canadian junior Kobrea Exploration Corp. is starting operations for the El Destino, Sofi, and Cuprum projects, which recently received approval for their Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and the legislative ratification of their exploration permits.
The delay at El Perdido is linked to the construction of a 14-kilometer road, the final stretch of which presents greater technical challenges. As explained by Mario Castelli, president of Kobrea Argentina, the last 4 kilometers require additional work to ensure safe passage for heavy equipment to the drilling platforms.
“It’s a minor delay, around two weeks, exclusively associated with the final section of the access road,” said Castelli. Once the work is completed, the drill rig will be mobilized and drilling will commence, with a contract already signed with the Mendoza-based company Conosur Drilling S.A.
Simultaneous activation of new projects
While the schedule for El Perdido is adjusted, Kobrea is moving forward with the operational startup of the El Destino, Sofi, and Cuprum projects, which have recently been authorized following environmental and legislative approval in the second phase of the MDMO.
These projects are part of an agreement between Kobrea and Agaucu, which includes seven copper potential properties in southwest Mendoza. They are now entering the technical and administrative preparation phase prior to field activities.
Among this second group, El Destino stands out as the most advanced from a technical perspective. Much of the regional studies carried out by the company—including airborne magnetometry—were developed alongside the work done at El Perdido, providing a robust geophysical database and reducing the time needed to define exploration targets.
Financial backing and expansion of geological objectives
El Perdido’s first drilling campaign is financially backed after a private placement closed in October, through which Kobrea Exploration Corp. raised US$ 8.5 million in gross proceeds. The funds will primarily be allocated to drilling and exploration activities in Mendoza.
This financial backing is supported by a significant expansion of the project's geological targets. Recent studies—including airborne magnetometry (2025) and ASTER analysis—have allowed for the redefinition of the Cu-Au-Mo porphyry system, which is now interpreted over an area of 2 x 2 kilometers. Within this system, a hydrothermal breccia approximately 1,700 meters by 250 meters has been identified as the possible mineralized center.
A portfolio of seven projects in Malargüe
Kobrea maintains a strategic agreement with Agaucu, granting rights over seven projects within the MDMO, all with copper potential and, in several cases, associated with porphyry systems:
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Sofi: 9,667 ha, four Cu porphyry targets
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El Perdido: 6,877 ha, Cu-Au-Mo porphyry
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Mantos de Cobre: 13,432 ha, Cu porphyry and skarn
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Cuprum: 11,451 ha, multiple porphyry targets
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Elena: 11,440 ha, multiple porphyry targets
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Verónica: 10,980 ha, multiple porphyry targets
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El Destino: 9,487 ha, Cu-Au-Mo porphyry
Castelli emphasized that the company is allocating all available resources—financial, technical, and operational—to advance in the district, although he clarified that El Perdido remains the main focus as it is the project approved in the first legislative round of the MDMO.
