MOM Mining is a Jujuy-based mining company focused on the development, exploration and operation of copper projects, part of the Villanueva Group. Its flagship asset, the Martín Bronce Mine, is the most advanced copper project in the province and currently the only producing-and-exporting copper operation in Jujuy.

The project aims to progressively increase copper production through the expansion of mining operations, the growth of certified resources, and the incorporation of higher value-added industrial processes.

Project overview

Martín Bronce is a copper and silver mining project located in the Sierra de Santa Bárbara, Palma Sola, approximately 140 km from San Salvador de Jujuy. The deposit corresponds to a Kupferschiefer-type stratiform system — one of the most important sediment-hosted copper geological models worldwide — and is currently producing copper cement with purity above 80% at pilot scale, with exports conducted 100% via Chile through the Jama Pass to the port of Antofagasta.

The project covers a district-scale land package of approximately 40,000 hectares of mining concessions, of which only 0.07% has been drilled to date, indicating significant exploration upside.

Resources

– Total estimated resource: 2.43 Mt @ 0.92% CuEq
– Measured + Indicated: 1.79 Mt @ 0.96% CuEq · 0.70% Cu
– Best intercept: 5.1% Cu + 81 ppm Ag
– First export: 49 t certified at 6.7% Cu · 78 g/t Ag
– NI 43-101 Technical Report in final stage of preparation (approx. 95% complete)
– Gross in-situ value (Cu LME USD 13,745/t) ≈ USD 246 million

Technology and value chain

The company holds proprietary technology and patent applications covering its production processes. Key differentiators include a low-footprint hydrometallurgical leaching process using patented citric acid, blast-free open-pit extraction with approximately 24-hour recovery cycles, and a value chain that progresses from green oxide ore to copper cement (>80% purity, with a long-term offtake agreement with Trafigura) and, at the advanced technology end, to nanocopper (99.99999% purity, <20 nm, targeting ~USD 1,000/kg for microchip and medical applications).

Development plan

– Phase I (2026–2027): stabilisation and optimisation of pilot operations to reach 30–90 tonnes per month of copper cement
– Phase II (2027): open-pit and underground mining expansion, increasing processing capacity from ~5,000 to ~25,000 tonnes per month
– Phase III (2028–2030): construction of an industrial plant in Palma Sola targeting ~2,500 tonnes per month of high-purity copper cement for export, with estimated annual revenues of ~USD 200 million
– Phase IV (2028–2030): industrial scale-up of nanocopper production from ~0.2 to ~5 tonnes per month

Investment structure

Total estimated investment: USD 300 million across three stages. Stage I (USD 25M) is approximately 80% complete and fully financed by shareholders. Stage II (USD 75M) is projected to be financed approximately two-thirds through the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and one-third through shareholder and private investor contributions. Stage III (USD 200M) will follow a similar structure. The project benefits from 30-year fiscal and exchange stability under Argentina's RIGI regime and the Mining Investment Law (Law No. 24,196), and is backed by a long-term offtake agreement with Trafigura providing bankability.

Environmental and community framework

The project operates under IFC Performance Standards, with real environmental offsets, periodic monitoring, and permanent community dialogue. Initiatives include the Mesa del Cobre (formal community dialogue), a 1,000-hectare environmental compensation and reforestation bank, a sustainable forestry management plan in the Yungas, and a projection of 20 to 600 direct jobs over four years.

Website: www.mommining.com.ar

For further information, please contact the Commercial Section of the Embassy of the Argentine Republic in Singapore: embargentina_trade@mrecic.gov.ar