Nexa’s Zinc Reserves Rise 4.4% to 115.1 Mt, Mine Life Extended
Nexa’s proven and probable mineral reserves grew 4.4% to 115.1 million tonnes containing 4,047 kt of zinc in 2025, with 282 kt of additions offsetting 373 kt of depletion. Life-of-mine plans now extend to 2041 at Aripuanã and to 2034 at Vazante following infill drilling and updated economic parameters.
1. Consolidated Reserve Growth
Proven and probable mineral reserves increased by 4.4% from 110.3 million tonnes at end-2024 to 115.1 million tonnes at end-2025, containing 4,047 kt of zinc at an average grade of 3.52%. Exploration additions of 282 kt nearly offset annual depletion of 373 kt, delivering a reserve replacement ratio of 92.4% through infill and extension drilling.
2. Mine-Level Reserve Additions
Reserve additions were concentrated at Vazante (+140 kt), Cerro Lindo (+82 kt), El Porvenir (+46 kt), Aripuanã (+7 kt) and Atacocha (+7 kt), driven by near-mine conversion drilling. Net positive revisions of 60 kt of contained zinc were mainly due to updated metal price assumptions and mine design optimizations at El Porvenir (+66 kt), Vazante (+23 kt) and Atacocha (+21 kt).
3. Extended Mine Life Plans
As a result of the 2025 updates, life-of-mine plans now extend to 2041 at Aripuanã, 2036 at El Porvenir and Atacocha Underground, 2034 at Vazante, 2032 at Cerro Lindo and 2028 at Atacocha Open Pit. Several operations saw extensions of one to two years versus 2024, underpinning longer operational visibility.