Highlights:
The Peruvian government has enacted Supreme Decree No. 009-2025-EM , transferring oversight of small-scale and artisanal mining from regional governments to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) .
The deadline for the mandated Formalization of REINFO (Comprehensive Mining Formalization Registry) permit holders with mineral right holders has been extended until December 31, 2025 , giving operators more time to formalize.
MINEM's Directorate General of Mining Formalization will now handle all administrative, monitoring, and enforcement processes related to mining formalization.
Reform is grounded in Law No. 32213 , published in December 2024.
A new national traceability platform (SIPMMA) is being launched to improve transparency and monitoring of registered small-scale mining operations.
The reform has raised concerns among regional governments over loss of local oversight and potential impacts on decentralized governance.
Element79 Gold Corp supports centralized oversight if implemented with community engagement and regional collaboration.
The Lucero Project remains a core focus , with continued efforts to formalize local artisanal miners and advance exploration toward production.
The Company reaffirms its commitment to social investment and long-term community relationships in Chachas and surrounding areas.
Following success in Nevada asset development and sales , Element79 Gold Corp. will reignite strategic initiatives in that jurisdiction.
In May 2025, the Government of Peru enacted Supreme Decree No. 009-2025-EM, which extends the validity of the Comprehensive Mining Formalization Registry (REINFO) until December 31, 2025, and shifts responsibility for supervising small-scale and artisanal mining from regional governments to the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM).
Under this reform, the Directorate General of Mining Formalization within MINEM will assume exclusive responsibility for the administrative processing, monitoring, and enforcement of formalization-related matters. The changes are grounded in Law No. 32213, published in December 2024, and are designed to enable a more centralized, technical, and transparent regulatory process.
This centralization will be further supported by the implementation of a new national traceability platform, the Sistema Interoperable de la Pequeña Minería y Minería Artesanal (SIPMMA), which aims to improve oversight and data integration across registered mining activities.
While the reform has raised concerns among regional governments regarding reduced local oversight and the implications for decentralized governance, Element79 believes the changes may ultimately contribute to improved regulatory clarity and operational efficiencies across the sector.
"We are closely monitoring this policy shift and its implementation," commented James Tworek, CEO and Director of Element79 Gold Corp. "Given Lucero's location and strategic focus within the artisanal and small-scale mining segment, we view enhanced regulatory structure and centralized oversight as potentially beneficial, provided that community engagement and regional collaboration remain part of the process."
The Company further notes that the extension of the REINFO deadline through December 2025 allows additional time for regional operators and stakeholders to advance their formalization efforts, which may support ongoing engagement strategies with artisanal miners operating within and around the Lucero Project.
Element79 Gold Corp believes in the long-term potential of the Lucero Project, continues to maintain the project's mineral leases, and is proud of the community-based investments, social development efforts, and relationships it has built since acquiring Lucero at the end of June 2022. The Company will continue its efforts in forging contracts with the local community for both the formalization of local artisanal miners as well as the Company's own exploration and development of Lucero into a producing mine.
Corporate Strategy Refocus
In addition to ongoing efforts and campaigns to work in Chachas, the Company's management and board identifies that following notable successes in developing and monetizing assets in Nevada, it will be carrying out a renewed strategic focus in the region. This strategic shift will include dealing and development of its current portfolio of Nevada projects, growth of the management team with regionally-specific exploration experience, as well as is reviewing additional M&A opportunities in the region.
For more information about the Company and its projects, please visit: www.element79.gold
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
James C. Tworek
Chief Executive Officer, Director
Element79 Gold Corp.
E: jt@element79.gold
Investor Relations Contact:
E: investors@element79.gold
T: +1.403.850.8050
About Element79 Gold Corp.
Element79 Gold Corp. is a mining company focused on the exploration and development of high-grade gold and silver projects in the Americas. The Company's flagship asset, the Lucero Project, is a past-producing high-grade gold-silver mine located in Arequipa, Peru. The Company is actively advancing Lucero toward renewed production and tailings reprocessing while supporting formalization initiatives with local operators.
The Company also holds several exploration projects along Nevada's Battle Mountain trend, a region renowned for prolific gold production, and these assets are under contract for sale in the first half of 2025. Additionally, Element79 has transferred its Dale Property in Ontario to its subsidiary, Synergy Metals Corp., as part of a Plan of Arrangement spin-out process.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press contains "forward‐looking information" and "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward‐looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made considering management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the timing and completion of the arrangement and the timing and completion of the amalgamation. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward‐looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "forecast", "potential", "target", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward‐looking statements".
The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Figure 1: Recent RC results at Side Well South have confirmed gold discoveries made in earlier first-pass AC drilling
