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    Highlander’s US$330M Corani debt: capex, funding mix and schedule for mine planners

    September 23, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Highlander’s US$330M Corani debt: capex, funding mix and schedule for mine planners

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Highlander Silver has mandated Natixis CIB to arrange a fully underwritten US$330 million, seven‑year senior secured debt package, including a US$100 million cost‑overrun provision, to fund construction of the fully permitted Corani silver‑lead‑zinc project in Peru’s Puno region. Corani hosts 138.6 million tonnes of proven and probable reserves grading 51.3 g/t silver, 0.9% lead and 0.55% zinc (229 million oz silver, 2.7 billion lb lead, 1.7 billion lb zinc), with the 2019 feasibility outlining a 15‑year mine averaging 9.6 million oz silver per year at US$4.55/oz AISC. With about US$100 million cash on hand, expected Mercedes mine cash flow of roughly US$100 million in 2027–28, and the Natixis facility projected to cover ~72% of the ~US$460–500 million capex, BMO and Scotiabank see Corani nearing fully funded status, targeting construction start in H1 2027 and first production by end‑2029.

    Technical Brief

    • Natixis CIB’s seven-year senior secured facility includes a separate US$100 million cost-overrun arrangement pre‑first draw.
    • Facility closing is targeted for Q1 2027, contingent on lender due diligence and internal approvals.
    • Highlander reported about US$100 million cash and zero debt on 30 June, improving debt capacity.
    • Management has retained 100% of Corani offtake rights, preserving flexibility for future concentrate sales contracts.
    • BMO anticipates a revolving credit facility to satisfy lenders’ cost‑overrun requirements, avoiding equity issuance.
    • Site works already underway include camp construction, preliminary earthworks and road building, with workforce exceeding 300 by July.
    • Corani and the Mercedes and San Luis assets were consolidated into Highlander via the February Bear Creek share transaction (~36.2 million shares issued).

    Our Take

    The combination of 229Moz silver reserves with significant lead and zinc reserves at Corani positions Highlander Silver among the larger polymetallic developers in Latin America in our database, which may make the project more comparable to major Andean base-metal mines than to single-commodity primary silver plays.

    Targeting debt close in Q1 2027 means Highlander’s construction window in Peru’s Puno region will overlap with several other Latin American projects in our Projects-tagged stories, suggesting competition for skilled labour and contractors could be a non-trivial execution risk despite the sizeable cost-overrun provision.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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