Prime Mining 2023 Financial and Operating Results

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Prime Mining Corp. (“Prime”, or the “Company”) (TSV: PRYM) (OTCQX: PRMNF) (Frankfurt: O4V3) is pleased to report its operating and financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2023. Prime is focused on the exploration and development of its wholly owned high-grade Los Reyes Gold-Silver Project in Sinaloa State, Mexico (“Los Reyes” or the “Project”).

Prime Chief Executive Officer Scott Hicks commented, “2023 was a year of transformation for Prime, setting the stage for our 2024 drilling and technical programs, which include 40,000 metres of drilling. As we continue to explore Los Reyes and expand our technical understanding of the project, we remain dedicated to sustainable growth and project advancement. Thank you to our team and local communities for their ongoing support and efforts in advancing Los Reyes.”

Corporate Highlights During the Quarter
(Unless otherwise stated, all amounts are presented in Canadian dollars.)

• On November 29^th, Prime announced that the Company would begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) on December 5, 2023 following its graduation from the TSX Venture Exchange (the “TSXV”), with its trading symbol remaining unchanged as “PRYM”.
• On December 5^th, Prime advised that trading in its common shares was halted at the open of markets as the TSXV delisting was not completed concurrently by the TSXV, resulting in a trading halt, with trading on the TSX expected to begin at the open of markets on December 6, 2023.
• On December 6^th, Prime announced that trading in its common shares has commenced on the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) under the existing ticker symbol “PRYM”, following Prime’s graduation and delisting from the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”).

Exploration Highlights During the Quarter

On November 8, 2023, Prime reported high-grade drilling results from Tahonitas from the Z-T Trend at Los Reyes, with highlights:

• 2.49 grams per tonne (“gpt”) gold-equivalent (“AuEq”) (2.11 gpt Au and 29.3 gpt Ag) over 20.1 metres (“m”) estimated true width (“etw”) in hole 23TA-79, including:
  • 6.30 gpt AuEq (5.74 gpt Au and 42.9 gpt Ag) over 6.3 m etw.
• 2.00 gpt AuEq (1.06 gpt Au and 72.6 gpt Ag) over 5.5 m etw in hole 23TA-80, including:
  • 3.59 gpt AuEq (2.57 gpt Au and 78.5 gpt Ag) over 1.8 m etw.
• 1.14 gpt AuEq (1.04 gpt Au and 7.7 gpt Ag) over 4.45 m etw in hole 23TA-73, including:
  • 3.51 gpt AuEq (3.26 gpt Au and 19.6 gpt Ag) over 1.0 m etw.

On December 13, 2023, Prime reported high-grade drilling results from Noche Buena and San Miguel East from the Central Trend at Los Reyes, with highlights:

Central Area – Noche Buena highlights:

• 4.49 gpt AuEq (1.48 gpt Au and 232.6 gpt Ag) over 5.0 m etw in hole 23NB-51, including:
  • 8.00 gpt AuEq (2.7 gpt Au and 409.4 gpt Ag) over 2.6 m etw;
  • and 3.51 gpt AuEq (3.36 gpt Au and 11.9 gpt Ag) over 1.2 m etw.
• 3.81 gpt AuEq (1.62 gpt Au and 169.2 gpt Ag) over 2.6 m etw in hole 23NB-53, including:
  • 8.21 gpt AuEq (2.77 gpt Au and 420.0 gpt Ag) over 1.0 m etw;
• 1.23 gpt AuEq (0.45 gpt Au and 60.0 gpt Ag) over 8.4 m etw in hole 23NB-52, including:
  • 3.25 gpt AuEq (1.25 gpt Au and 154.7 gpt Ag) over 1.6 m etw.

Central Area – San Miguel East highlights:

• 1.33 gpt AuEq (0.55 gpt Au and 60.1 gpt Ag) over 4.4 m etw in hole 23SME-37, including:
  • 2.65 gpt AuEq (2.03 gpt Au and 48.2 gpt Ag) over 0.7 m etw;
• 2.23 gpt AuEq (0.99 gpt Au and 95.9 gpt Ag) over 1.4 m etw in hole 23SME-34.

Mining Law Ruling

Following a process commenced by the Company in July 2023, a Federal judge in Mexico has granted its applications for Federal protection, or ‘Amparos’, to conduct its activities under the previous (1994) mining-related laws, and is thereby not subject to the 2023 reforms for both the Los Reyes Project, as well as the adjacent El Rey claim once the latter claim is granted.

Critical to the rulings, the granted applications protect the Los Reyes Project and El Rey claims constitutionally from any further changes to mining related laws in Mexico. This protection extends to the 2023 mining-related laws, which included reforms to water usage, reclamation considerations and the scope and term of mining concessions.

As expected and required by law, the government has appealed the rulings. However, the rulings are expected to be upheld given the procedural shortcomings of the 2023 mining law implementation and likelihood that the 2023 reforms will be deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Maintaining Health and Safety Protocols

Prime remains engaged with local stakeholders and is proactive in monitoring employees and contractors concerning general health conditions. The Company continues to closely adhere to the directives of all levels of government and relevant health authorities in Mexico and Canada.

Community Engagement and Environmental Stewardship Strategy

We continued to gather environmental and community data in the quarter in support of our ESG programs, including completion of a materiality assessment, strategic plan, and disclosure matrix. We strive to minimize the environmental footprint of our activities and ensure that Los Reyes has a positive impact on our host communities.

The Company released its initial sustainability report during April 2023 which establishes a baseline and a new yardstick to measure our progress in meeting our commitments regarding sustainability and stewardship of the environment, relevant social issues, and corporate governance.

Selected Financial Data

The following selected financial data is summarized from the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto (the “Financial Statements”) for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. A copy of the Financial Statements and MD&A is available at www.primeminingcorp.ca or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

2024 Outlook

Prime is targeting 40,000 metres in its 2024 drill program and will continue to evaluate drilling plans using its success-based approach. This evaluation will also include prioritization of targets based on probability of resource development and generative area discovery potential.

Five drill rigs are currently active on site at Los Reyes, with 2024 exploration focused on:

• Extending the high-grade Z-T Area shoots that remain open at depth, as well as along strike, both north and south.
• Expanding the known high-grade mineralization at Guadalupe East.
• Increasing the Central Area resource through additions at Noche Buena and its connection to San Miguel East.
• Generative target drilling of high-grade intercepts at Las Primas, Mariposa, Fresnillo, Mina and others to further develop the resource potential at Los Reyes.

QA/QC Protocols and Sampling Procedures

Drill core at the Los Reyes project is drilled in predominately HQ size (63.5 millimetre “mm”), reducing to NQ (47.6 mm) when required. Drill core samples are generally 1.50 m long along the core axis with allowance for shorter or longer intervals if required to suit geological constraints. After logging intervals are identified to be sampled, the core is cut and one half is submitted for assay. RC drilling returns rock chips and fines from a 133.35 mm diameter tricone bit. The returns are homogenized and split into 2 halves, with one half submitted for analysis and the other half stored.

Sample QA/QC measures include unmarked certified reference materials, blanks, and field duplicates as well as preparation duplicates are inserted into the sample sequence and make up approximately 8% of the samples submitted to the laboratory for each drill hole.

Samples are picked up from the Project by the laboratory personnel and transported to their facilities in Durango or Hermosillo Mexico, for sample preparation. Sample analysis is carried out by Bureau Veritas and ALS Labs, with fire assay, including over limits fire assay re-analysis, completed at their respective Hermosillo, Mexico laboratories and multi-element analysis completed in North Vancouver, Canada. Drill core sample preparation includes fine crushing of the sample to at least 70% passing less than 2 mm, sample splitting using a riffle splitter, and pulverizing a 250-gram split to at least 85% passing 75 microns.

Gold in diamond drill core is analyzed by fire assay and atomic absorption spectroscopy of a 30 g sample (code FA430 or Au-AA23). Multi-element chemistry is analyzed by 4-Acid digestion of a 0.25-gram sample split (code MA300 or ME-ICP61) with detection by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer for a full suite of elements.

Gold assay techniques FA430 and Au-AA23 have an upper detection limit of 10 ppm. Any sample that produces an over-limit gold value via the initial assay technique is sent for gravimetric finish via method FA-530 or Au-GRA21. Silver analyses by MA300 and ME-ICP61 have an upper limit of 200 ppm and 100 ppm, respectively. Samples with over-limit silver values are re-analyzed by fire assay with gravimetric finish FA530 or Au-GRA21.

Both Bureau Veritas and ALS Labs are ISO/IEC accredited assay laboratories.

Additional Notes

Metres is represented by “m”; “etw” is Estimated True Width and is based on drill hole geometry or comparisons with other on-section drill holes; “Au” refers to gold, and “Ag” refers to silver; “gpt” is grams per metric tonne; some figures may not sum due to rounding; Composite assay grades presented in summary tables are calculated using a Au grade minimum average of 0.20 gpt or 1.0 gpt as indicated in “Au Cut-off”…