Le Cuivre

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suite de ce post du 29 sept 2024 viewtopic.php?p=2399517#p2399517

US Supreme Court rejects Apache appeal to block Rio Tinto’s Resolution mine

Staff Writer | May 27, 2025

The US Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to hear an appeal by the Apache Stronghold seeking to block the development of the Resolution Copper mine in Arizona. The mine is a joint venture between Rio Tinto (ASX, LON, NYSE: RIO) and BHP (ASX: BHP).

The advocacy group, comprising members of the San Carlos Apache tribe of southeastern Arizona and conservationists, challenged a 2024 lower court decision that permitted a federal land swap allowing the mining companies to acquire land considered sacred by the Apache for the mine project.

A federal judge in Arizona had temporarily halted the land transfer on May 9, pending the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal.

The Resolution Copper project is 55% owned by Rio Tinto and 45% by BHP, with Rio serving as the operator.



The companies have so far invested over $2 billion into the project, which is poised to become North America’s largest copper mine. It contains the third-largest known copper deposit globally, and could meet over a quarter of US copper demand for decades.

Apache Stronghold first filed suit in 2021, claiming the project violates constitutional and statutory protections for religious freedom. They argue the mine would destroy the Oak Flat, known as Chi’chil Biłdagoteel in the Apache language, a sacred site where Western Apaches have conducted ceremonies for generations, including a traditional four-day coming-of-age ritual for young women.

The group also says the mine would violate an 1852 treaty in which the US government promised to protect Apache lands and ensure the tribe’s “permanent prosperity and happiness.”

Congress authorized the land swap as part of a 2014 defense spending bill signed by then-President Barack Obama. The legislation allowed Rio Tinto and BHP to exchange private lands for Oak Flat, located about 70 miles (113 km) east of Phoenix.

The transfer was contingent on the completion of an environmental impact statement, which was released in January 2021, during the final days of the first Trump administration. However, in March 2021, the Biden administration withdrew the statement, halting the transfer temporarily.

The US Forest Service is expected to reissue the environmental report, potentially allowing the land swap to proceed as early as June 16.

Copper ambitions
Rio Tinto is ramping up its copper portfolio to meet growing global demand, which analysts predict will soon outpace supply.

The company’s Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia began underground production in 2023 and is projected to become the world’s fourth-largest copper mine by 2030.

In Peru, Rio Tinto has partnered with Chile’s state-owned Codelco and Canada’s First Quantum Minerals to develop the La Granja project, one of the world’s largest untapped copper deposits.

Rio is also investing in cleaner extraction technologies, including Nuton—a bioleaching process developed with Arizona Sonoran Copper (TSX: ASCU)—to recover copper from tailings and low-grade ores.

https://www.mining.com/us-supreme-court ... tion-mine/

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Peru expects $4.8B in mining investment this year

Reuters | June 3, 2025
Peru’s Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Montero expects mining investment in the world’s third-largest copper producer to reach $4.8 billion this year, and output of the red metal to be 2.8 million metric tons, he said on Tuesday.

Peru in 2024 produced about 2.7 million tons of copper, lightly less than the prior year.

Speaking at a press conference, Montero also noted a concerning increase of informal and illegal mining in two key copper production areas, referring to the Apurimac and Arequipa regions of southern Peru.

Top copper mine Las Bambas, controlled by China’s MMG, is located in Apruimac, while Canadian miner Teck is developing the Zafranal copper project in Arequipa in partnership with Mitsubishi Materials.

The rise of artisanal copper mining has created a much-needed income for impoverished Andean Peruvians, despite bringing them into conflict with major miners.

https://www.mining.com/web/peru-expects ... this-year/

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BHP-backed startup delivers first copper at Chile leaching plant

Bloomberg News | June 3, 2025

A Chilean startup backed by BHP Group has delivered its first copper cathodes from a demonstration plant at a mine site in northern Chile as the industry looks to squeeze out more metal from lower quality ore.

Ceibo extracted the metal from sulfide ores at a mine owned by Cia. Minera San Geronimo, or CMSG, using a proprietary leaching process, the two companies said in a statement Tuesday.

Ceibo and firms such as Jetti Resources LLC and Rio Tinto Group’s Nuton venture are looking to roll out catalysts for liberating copper from low-grade ore that miners previously saw as too expensive and difficult to process.

With new deposits getting harder to find and develop, leaching offers a way to boost and extend output at existing mines at a time when the industry is scrambling to meet an expected surge in demand.

Ceibo’s process extracts copper from sulfide ores using existing plants, with electrochemical reactions bolstering recovery rates in shorter cycles. The company is also working with Glencore Plc on a leaching process at the latter’s Lomas Bayas mine in Chile.

BHP Ventures and Energy Impact Partners participated in Ceibo’s 2023 financing round, joining Khosla Ventures as investors.

https://www.mining.com/web/bhp-backed-s ... ing-plant/

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RDC : le lancement de la fonderie de cuivre de Kamoa-Kakula prévu pour septembre

Agence Ecofin 13 juin 2025

Ivanhoe Mines opère Kamoa-Kakula, la plus grande exploitation industrielle de cuivre en RDC. La compagnie canadienne a lancé en 2021 la construction d’une fonderie sur le site, lequel devrait à terme présenter une capacité annuelle de 500 000 tonnes de concentré.

En République démocratique du Congo, Ivanhoe Mines prévoit de mettre en service la fonderie de cuivre du complexe cuprifère Kamoa-Kakula au début du mois de septembre 2025. C’est l’annonce faite le jeudi 11 juin par la compagnie canadienne, qui précise que la première production d’anodes sur le site est attendue pour octobre.

En construction depuis 2021, la fonderie devrait disposer à terme d’une capacité de traitement annuelle de 500 000 tonnes de concentré de cuivre, ce qui en ferait le plus grand projet du genre en Afrique. Elle produira du cuivre blister, un produit intermédiaire dans la fabrication d’anodes, avec une pureté d’environ 99%. Une fois inaugurée, l’installation devrait d’abord fonctionner à une capacité réduite de 50%, soit environ 250 000 tonnes de concentré traitées par an.

Avec ce projet, Ivanhoe Mines peut ainsi renforcer sa position dans la chaîne de valeur du cuivre en captant une plus grande valeur ajoutée pour la production de Kamoa-Kakula. Notons que la société a déjà signé des accords commerciaux pour vendre 80% de la production de la fonderie aux groupes chinois Zijin Mining et CITIC Metal, pour une période de trois ans.

En prélude de cette mise en service, Ivanhoe travaille aussi à sécuriser un approvisionnement énergétique stable sur le site. Plus tôt cette année, la compagnie a signé un accord visant à porter à 100 MW la puissance d’énergie hydroélectrique dédiée au complexe, portant la capacité électrique disponible à 150 MW, en tenant compte des 50 MW fournis par le réseau national. Cette capacité devrait encore augmenter d’ici octobre 2025, avec la mise en service attendue de la turbine N°5 du barrage Inga II (178 MW).

Le lancement de la fonderie surviendra toutefois dans un contexte de production baissière à Kamoa-Kakula. En raison des conséquences d’un récent incident sismique survenu dans la mine souterraine de Kakula, Ivanhoe a en effet ajusté ses prévisions pour 2025 à une fourchette de 370 000 à 420 000 tonnes de cuivre, contre 520 000 à 580 000 tonnes initialement prévues.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/actualites ... -septembre

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Un nouveau prospect/projet de Cuivre : Cobreorco au Pérou.

Condor-Teck copper project in Peru receives environmental approval

Staff Writer | June 13, 2025 mining.com

Condor Resources (TSXV: CN) says its Cobreorco project in central Peru has passed an “important” permitting milestone following the approval of its environmental impact statement, moving the project closer to the drilling stage.

The permitting process is being carried out by Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.A/TECK.B; NYSE: TECK), which entered the project in late 2023 through an option and joint venture agreement with Condor.

Under that agreement, Teck can earn a 55% interest in Cobreorco over three years following the permit issuance by spending $4 million on exploration and paying another $500,000 in cash. The Canadian miner would also take over technical, social and environmental programs at Cobreorco.

Upon exercising this option, the companies will then form a joint venture, after Teck can increase its stake in the project further to 75% by spending an additional $6 million in exploration and making another cash payment of $600,000.
.......................
Condor’s geologists also compared the mineralization to that at Las Bambas, the large copper porphyry with skarn overprinting 50 km to the east.

https://www.mining.com/condor-teck-proj ... -approval/

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Nevada copper project draws $896 million US financing interest

Bloomberg News | June 10, 2025


Credit: Pathfinder Tonopah

A Nevada mining project has attracted the attention of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, which is showing interest in offering $896 million to support a company seeking to build a copper and molybdenum mine.

Pathfinder Tonopah, a closely held Nevada-based mining company, said on Tuesday it had received the non-binding indicative letter of interest from Ex-Im, the official export credit agency of the US. The company said the financing would support the construction of a mining and processing facility to produce copper cathode, molybdenum concentrate and other products on the Tonopah, Nevada, site, which has existing infrastructure, including water rights, power connections, and paved road access.

The deposit is Pathfinder Tonopah’s sole mining project, a former mine where previous owners extracted molybdenum in the 1980s and 1990s. The company has completed a preliminary economic assessment for the new project and is now seeking permits to build the mine.

The letter of interest from the US government bank comes as the Trump administration seeks to revive domestic mining of copper, a ubiquitous metal used in everything from home wiring to solar equipment. The Trump administration has sought to fast-track mining projects across the country and has weighed tariffs on copper imports to spur domestic production.

https://www.mining.com/web/nevada-coppe ... -interest/

la page de Pathfinder sur ce projet : https://pathfindertonopah.com/the-project/

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suite de ce post du 16 mars 2025 viewtopic.php?p=2408367#p2408367

First Quantum takes small steps in long road to Panama mine restart

Bloomberg News | June 19, 2025

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. is receiving some encouraging signs for its shuttered mine in Panama, though the nation’s president warned there’s a long way to go before reaching a deal to restart.

The Canadian company has begun preparations to ship out 120,000 metric tons of semi-processed copper stranded since the mine shut in late 2023, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Franco-Nevada Corp., which has a supply agreement for metals from the mine, agreed to halt its arbitration case against Panama — another small step forward given dropping such action was a government prerequisite for negotiations. President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday that the slate is now clean to start talks about a potential restart.

Mine workers and providers, as well as members of other unions and some local communities, announced a Sunday march to push for a resumption. That would give some counterweight to public protests against mining that led to its closure.

Taken together, the actions offer some progress for a $10 billion mine that once accounted for 1% of global mined copper. First Quantum’s flagship asset was ordered closed by the government about 18 months ago after mass protests in the Central American nation.

The jury is still out on whether the government will be able to navigate lingering anti-mining sentiment in order to resume an operation that would give a much-needed boost to the local economy, as well as to a copper market disrupted by a string of supply setbacks.

Mulino acknowledged how tricky the process will be in comments to reporters in Panama City, which were framed in nationalist rhetoric. Any restart options would bypass Congress, he said.

“It will be evaluated and decided on as a function of national interest,” he said. “It will be an agreement with the state, exercising its legitimate right as a country over its land and right to exploit its natural resources.”

https://www.mining.com/web/first-quantu ... e-restart/

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Projet de prolongation d'une vingtaine d'année avec investissements de la plus grande mine de cuivre du Canada :

Teck lands permit to extend life of copper mine in British Columbia

Cecilia Jamasmie | June 18, 2025

Teck Resources (TSX: TECK.A, TECK.B)(NYSE: TECK) has secured an environmental assessment certificate to extend the life of its Highland Valley Copper (HVC) mine in British Columbia, keeping Canada’s largest copper operation running into the mid-2040s.


The Vancouver-based miner expects the expansion to support an average annual production of 137,000 tonnes of copper over the mine’s remaining lifespan. Construction preparation will begin shortly, with a final investment decision expected from Teck’s board in the third quarter of 2025, president and chief executive officer Jonathan Price said in a statement.

Price noted the project will help strengthen North America’s critical minerals supply chain while contributing to job creation and economic activity. He said the expansion will create about 2,900 construction jobs and support 1,500 positions once operational.

To speed up approval for what BC authorities have called a “priority critical minerals project”, the province’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) worked with key ministries to enable a single, consolidated application covering both the environmental assessment and major permits. This marks the first fully integrated review under BC’s 2018 Environmental Assessment Act.

The process included input from Indigenous governments, local communities, and stakeholders. Price thanked participants for their “thoughtful assessment” and continued engagement.

The HVC expansion is part of Teck’s broader plan to invest up to $3.9 billion over the next four years, aiming to boost its total copper production to about 800,000 tonnes annually by 2030.

https://www.mining.com/teck-lands-permi ... ine-in-bc/

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Nouveau projet au Brésil : Bacaba

Vale obtains preliminary license for Bacaba copper project in Brazil

Staff Writer | June 16, 2025

Vale SA (NYSE: VALE) said on Monday that it has obtained a preliminary environmental licence for its Bacaba copper project in Brazil’s Pará state.

The Bacaba project is designed to extend the operational life of the nearby Sossego mining complex, contributing an average of approximately 50,000 tonnes of copper per year over eight years of operation, with production scheduled to begin in the first half of 2028.

The miner expects to invest about $290 million during the project’s implementation phase.

“This is the first in a series of copper projects that Vale intends to develop in the Carajás mineral province, as part of a strategic plan to double its copper production capacity over the next decade,” the company said in a statement.

Following the news, Vale’s New York-listed shares jumped 3.4% to $9.77, giving the company a market capitalization of approximately $42 billion.

The Brazilian miner currently owns 90% of Vale Base Metals, which groups together its nickel and copper assets globally. Manara Minerals, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian miner Ma’aden and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, acquired the remaining 10% stake in 2024.

https://www.mining.com/vale-obtains-pre ... r-project/