Canadian company AbraSilver Resource received the green light from the authorities of the province of Catamarca in Argentina for the Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) of its silver-gold project Diablillos.
With this announcement, the company completes all the environmental approvals necessary to move toward a construction decision and focus on its financing strategy.
At the end of April 2026, the Toronto-based company had already received DIA approval from the government of the province of Salta, so it can now move forward with the development of Diablillos, which involves areas in both Argentine regions.
Diablillos has also already been approved to join the RIGI Large Investment Incentive Regime, which provides greater legal certainty for the project, which aims to start operations in 2029, reaching an average annual production of 13.4 million ounces (Moz) of silver, consisting of 7.6Moz of silver and 72,000oz of gold, over a 14-year life.
“With the environmental approvals obtained in Salta and Catamarca, and our final feasibility study completed, Diablillos now stands out as the largest silver-gold project ready for construction and with the highest level of permitting worldwide,” said John Miniotis, the company’s president, in a statement.
AbraSilver will now focus on identifying financing options, initiating detailed engineering activities, and negotiating with key companies to establish engineering, procurement, and construction management contracts (EPCM contracts).
Another relevant aspect will be reaching equipment development agreements for the execution of the project, with a focus on starting the first works and site preparation activities during the third quarter of 2026.
At the same time, it will assess opportunities to develop an expansion through a Phase 2, which will include expansions in the leaching areas.
Salta-Catamarca Agreement
The legislatures of Salta and Catamarca have an interprovincial cooperation agreement underway regarding the development of Diablillos, which establishes a formal framework for coordinated progress on administrative, royalty, and tax matters, among other aspects.
This commitment represents a milestone in the history of Diablillos, as in the past the location of the mining project on the border between the two provinces had generated disputes over overlapping boundaries.
The agreement will make it possible to coordinate public policies, carry out joint oversight, and promote infrastructure development in joint areas in the Puna region.
Potential
AbraSilver acquired the Diablillos property in 2016, comprising 15 contiguous mineral concessions. Exploration to date has identified total resources of 248Moz of silver and 2.5Moz of gold (454 Moz AgEq) and outlined multiple promising occurrences of silver and gold oxide mineralization.
More than 170,000m have already been drilled on the property and there is still potential for resource growth. AbraSilver compares Diablillos with deposits such as la Coipa (Chile); Yanacocha (Peru); Veladero (Argentina); and Filo del Sol (Argentina).