Silver Elephant Mining Corp. (TSX: ELEF) (OTCQB: SILEF) (FSE: 1P2) has announced it is preparing to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment Study for a proposed 12,000 tonne-per-day processing plant at its Pulacayo-Paca silver project in Bolivia's Potosí Department by the end of December 2026. The company anticipates a Bolivian government decision on the environmental license by June 2027, with plant construction expected to commence following approval. The announcement marks a significant permitting milestone for a project that Silver Elephant describes as central to its strategy of building a district-scale, integrated silver mining operation.

Key Points

  • Silver Elephant Mining Corp. (TSX: ELEF) (OTCQB: SILEF) (FSE: 1P2) disclosed the environmental permitting update on November 13, 2026.
  • The company plans to submit the Environmental Impact Assessment Study (EEIA-AI) to Bolivia's Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy by December 31, 2026.
  • The proposed plant is a dual-circuit facility designed for up to 10,000 tpd of sulphide material and up to 2,000 tpd of oxide material, fed from three deposits.
  • Investors may be watching for Bolivia's environmental license decision, targeted by June 2027, which would trigger the construction phase.

Bolivia's Category 1 Environmental Classification Shapes Permitting Path

In July 2026, Bolivia's national environmental authority approved the Environmental Categorisation Form for the plant, its tailings storage facility, waste rock storage areas, and associated facilities, classifying the project as Category 1. Under Bolivian regulations, Category 1 projects require the most comprehensive level of environmental assessment — a detailed, integrated Environmental Impact Assessment Study — including a mandatory public consultation process. The company states that the engineering and technical components of the assessment are substantially complete, with wet-season field studies and socioeconomic baseline work scheduled through mid-December 2026.

Three Deposits to Supply Feed Backed by Existing Production Records

The proposed plant would draw feed from the Pulacayo, Paca, and Apuradita deposits, all of which have prior processing histories. Between October 2023 and November 2024, the company mined and delivered 261,530 wet tonnes of oxide material from Paca grading 183 g/t silver to a third-party toll processor, with reported silver recovery of 85–95%. From Apuradita, the company has produced 84.7 dry tonnes of concentrate containing 24,538 ounces of silver from 4,547 tonnes of mineralized material grading 297 g/t silver. The company states these records informed the proposed plant design and mine plans.

Equipment Procurement Discussions and Joint-Venture Dialogue Under Way

Silver Elephant reports it has initiated discussions with equipment manufacturers regarding indicative quotations and delivery timelines for the plant's major process equipment, with the goal of aligning procurement with the anticipated permitting schedule. The company also discloses it is in discussions with potential joint-venture partners capable of providing turn-key EPCM services — Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management — in exchange for an equity stake in the project. No specific agreements, valuations, or partner names were disclosed in the announcement. The immediate share price impact was not clear from available public information.